


Mischief and Magic

by thebabewiththepower



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: ...eventually, And Romance, Attempt at Humor, F/M, Help I can't stop, I have no idea what I'm doing, I should stop making tags now, Please Review, This is just a bit of fun, and SMUT, really - Freeform, the title says it all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-03-15 10:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 74,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3443795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebabewiththepower/pseuds/thebabewiththepower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah obtains several goblin minions, much to the consternation of their King. There will be games and glitter, misunderstandings and pranks, and shameless abuse of candy. Dark creatures bearing grudges are lurking nearby, will Sarah and Jareth be able to move past their pride and find some common ground, before it's too late? COMPLETE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Milk's favorite cookie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realize that most of this has been done already in one form or another, but I had some really fun ideas that wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> Seriously, they would wake me up at night and poke me with sticks until I started writing.
> 
> This is a romance, there is a plot (really), it starts out slow, but there's plenty of action later. My Jareth was partially inspired by Melissa Findley's incredible Deviant Art picture 'Leather and Velvet.'
> 
> Haven't seen it yet? You should. It's life-changing.
> 
> Hope you enjoy. (The story, that is. Though if you go to Deviant Art and find yourself unable to leave, I understand.)

Sarah glared at the package of Oreos on the counter before her. This was not the first time something like this had happened, but the increasing frequency was beginning to grate on her. If she had been an ordinary girl, if she wasn't so familiar with the supernatural, she would have been concerned for her sanity.

Sarah lived alone, in a small apartment near the college, and so there was no logical explanation for the things that had been happening. Misplaced keys, cosmetics and lotions used by someone unseen, doors and cupboards opening or closing on their own, strange hairs on the furniture and in the sink. Strange noises, barely audible giggles, and movement just barely visible out of the corner of her eye.

Ever since THAT night, 5 years ago, the strange and unusual had been a part of Sarah's life. The Labyrinth had never really left her, though she tried not to dwell on it. She tried to focus on reality, on her life as it was now, well, the ordinary parts anyway. She focused on being a student, visiting her family on weekends, and her upcoming 21st birthday.

But always, just on the edge of her vision, was that fuzziness, that 'unrealness', that brought to mind crystals and stinking bogs, strange skies and mismatched eyes. She knew the creatures were always nearby, attracted, for some reason unbeknownst to her, like ants at a picnic. Goblins, she suspected, and perhaps other things, things that should not, by any reasonable stretch of the imagination, be raiding her kitchen.

Scowling, hands on hips, her death-glare at the offending cookies sharpened, this time they had gone too far. One simply did not mess with a woman's chocolate, particularly her special that-time-of-the-month stash of cream filled goodness. A nibble or missing food item here or there was tolerable, but an entire, newly bought package of Oreos, pulled apart and the cream filling licked off, was too much. Whoever, whatever had done it had even had the gall to try to put the remains of the cookies neatly back in the package, as if hoping she wouldn't notice.

They had crossed a line this time and something had to be done. Sarah threw the slobber covered mess of what was left of her cookies into the garbage and grabbed her keys, mouth drawn into a thin line as a plan formed in her mind. A determined grin spread across her face as she got into her car and drove to the store to get supplies.

Tonight, she would be hunting goblins.


	2. Goblin pudding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except my goblins.

Pulling up to the supermarket, Sarah grabbed her bag and locked the car doors. As she walked in and grabbed a cart, she wondered if this was such a good idea after all. The goblins, if indeed that was what she was dealing with, had never actually harmed her or caused any serious problems, however irritating and inconvenient their antics might be. But that didn't mean they were harmless, mythical beings rarely were. She had no idea how they might react to confrontation, and considered just buying extra cookies and sucking it up. They could even be watching her now, how was she supposed to pull this off without them knowing?However, Sarah Williams had never been one to back down from a fight or to change her mind, and so she steeled her spine and walked purposefully toward the sporting goods section.

Finding an employee, she decided a bit of misleading was in order for the critter she had spied following several aisles behind her. "Excuse me; I was wondering where you keep your nets. I am leaving for a fishing trip tomorrow and I need one." She asked loudly, hoping her shadow caught that. "Right this way, miss, what size was ya lookin' for?" After selecting a net, she surreptitiously tossed some rope and wire into the cart, and then hurried toward the food aisles. Sarah smiled as she tossed various junk food items into her cart; all things that she knew her unwelcome house guest helped itself to on a regular basis.

It had never been too bad, until about a month ago, when she somehow caught the attention of some creature with a ravenous sweet tooth. Nothing was safe, the caps would be missing from the jams and syrups, any candy was sure to be pilfered, ice cream tubs would be found in the bathtub with teeth marks in the cardboard containers, melted ice cream dripping sadly down the drain. Last Saturday she had run out to get donuts and had thoughtlessly left them on the counter while she hopped in the shower. Upon returning to the kitchen, all the ones with sprinkles had been missing, with no clue as to what happened except a maple icing hand print on the ceiling. Sarah thought she might very well hang this trespasser from the ceiling by its feet and leave it there for a few days, until it agreed to leave and never return. She didn't want to hurt whatever it was, but she figured she would have to frighten it in some way to get it to go away.

Checking out, she loaded all her goods into the car and pulled out, feeling more confident in her plan. When she had first started noticing the beings on the edge of her vision shortly after running the Labyrinth, she had been sure that the Goblin King had sent them for some nefarious purpose. While she had never seen anything directly, she knew they were there, and her frantic teenage mind supplied the worst possible scenarios, they were going to take Toby, they were going to take her, they had come to exact the Goblin King's revenge and were waiting for the right moment to strike. She had called Hoggle and Sir Diddymus in a panic, begging them for help. They stayed with her whenever they could, but had duties and lives of their own. Through covert means and a little investigating, Hoggle had been able to ascertain that the Goblin King had not, in fact, sent his goblins after her. In fact, he seemed completely unaware of it, and the few goblins Hoggle had caught lurking near Sarah's home had been quite happy to keep it that way.

Confused at first, Sarah eventually began to accept the magic that lingered in her life, the creatures, fairies, brownies, goblins and others never actually showed themselves to her and she did not seek them out. Until now. Reassured that this was just a simple, most-likely-harmless bit of pest control, she pulled up to her apartment and prepared to have some fun.

Two hours later, Sarah stood back to admire her handiwork. It was not fancy, but it should do the job. This morning she had known nothing about trapping things, now, with the aid of a hunters manual she had picked up from the library, she had constructed a functional booby trap in her kitchen. First she had set about making the bait, a mixing bowl filled with a mixture of goblin-attracting junk foods; it was a sticky concoction of Oreos, marshmallows, jelly beans, chocolate chips, honey, maple syrup and chocolate sauce, topped with sprinkles and M&Ms. She decided to call it 'Goblin Pudding'. This was set in the middle of the kitchen floor on top of the net, which had rope tied at all four corners leading up to a pipe that ran across her ceiling. The ropes joined to another which led down under the kitchen table. Wire loosely held the rope out of view, Sarah was not overly worried about the obviousness of her trap, her 'fishing trip' tomorrow would explain the net, hopefully the critter in the store had told it's friends, anticipating an interruption-free day of pilfering through her apartment. Though she had really only interacted with goblins during the battle to gain entry to the castle, even that brief exposure had impressed upon her the goblins lack of intelligence. The 'goblin pudding' would be tempting, hopefully tempting enough that the trespasser would scurry towards it heedlessly. Nodding in approval, Sarah popped a Midol, grabbed her coffee, turned off the lights and crawled under the kitchen table. Now all there was to do was wait.

The sun had just set and the apartment was growing dark, Sarah had been sitting quietly under the table for about an hour now. She had heard noises coming from the kitchen before around this time, dawn and dusk seemed to be when the fuzziness at the edge of her vision grew more defined, when the sounds of scurrying and cackling was clearer, when she could almost see them if she was quick enough. If anything was going to happen, she hoped it happened soon, her legs were cramping and she had forgotten to pee before beginning her little stake-out. Peering through her sheer tablecloth at the clock on the stove, she chastised herself for being so impatient, it had only been an hour, if she showed herself she might tip them off, and then she would never catch them. The thought of having to deal with the surprise of spit-soaked creamless Oreos and other similar unpleasantness for the rest of her days strengthened her resolve. Giving her bladder a reproachful glare, she tightened her grip on the rope in her hand and was still, listening and watching.

A few hours later she was snapped out of her reverie by a scuttling sound, followed by a "Hush! Sweeties this way!"

A second voice "Are we sure she is gone? I smells her still."

Then a third "Yes, yes! She not here, lights off, bed empty. "

"but, I smells her-"

"That because she live here, you idiot!"

Then the first again "Hush up and look, what I tell you, the sweetest of all sweeties! So much, so much, we is lucky tonight, yes yes, we is lucky!"

Sarah peered through the tablecloth, able in the moonlight to make out several figures of various shapes and sizes. Definitely goblins, but more than she was expecting. She hoped they wouldn't be too heavy. They were nearly to the center of the net now.

"Waz the net on the floor for?"

A fourth voice explained " The Lady going fishin'"

"How 'bout the ropes?" The fattest one asked again.

Sarah saw the tallest one stiffen, looking for the ropes that the other had seen. Taking her chance, she turned and jumped out from under the table, pulling against the rope with all her strength, running down her hallway and springing the trap. The shrieks of dismay and muffled yells behind her let her know that she had succeeded in catching some of them at least. Walking back to the kitchen, holding the rope taught, Sarah flicked on the light to find a net full of goblins swinging in midair from the pipe, a mess of limbs and ears and snarls and cries, sugary goop dripping down onto the floor.

"I tells yous I smelled her!" wailed a rather rotund goblin near the bottom of the net. Sarah noticed with amusement that he was wearing a kilt and what looked like a burlap sack.

"We's not fishies!" A one eyed goblin called out frantically "Don't eat us lady, we not fishies!"

Sarah grimaced, she could think of few things less appetizing than goblins covered in sticky goop.

"Quiet!" Sarah said, suddenly worried how she would explain this to any worried neighbors who came knocking after hearing the racket.

"Quiet right now, the lot of you! I know you have been stealing my things and getting into my food, and it ends now!"

A half dozen goblins gazed at her through the netting, swinging silently side to side. They did not look the least bit impressed, save for the one-eyed one who was clearly very concerned they would be mistaken for tasty fish.

"Down, down!" snarled an unpleasant, swarthy looking goblin in a flowery dress "and surrender your sweeties!" She cackled, slurping up some chocolate sauce from a nearby goblins head.

"No." Sarah was starting to feel a mild panic, what was she supposed to do to scare them off? She improvised "You are all my prisoners, and if you don't cooperate, you'll be sorry."

"Prisoners?" Asked a tall, thin, green goblin with a shock of long purple hair, hanging upside down and pressed against the net closest to Sarah. "Like prisoners of war?"

A small blue goblin on the left started to whimper.

"Erm, sure," said Sarah "and you will endure hardships unnumbered if you don't do as I say." She said in what she hoped was an intimidating voice. The purple-haired goblin seemed to think about this for a minute, and then declared "Ok, you win! We's do as Lady sez."

Sarah was thrown "What? Just like that? You will all do as I say?" She was met with murmurs and declarations of agreement, some more enthusiastic than others. Sarah was very suspect of this turn of events, she had assumed they would resist her, but now they were all looking at her expectantly, six round pairs of eyes waiting for her to make the next move. Noticing the small goblin on the left was shaking and crying silently, Sarah suddenly felt bad for trying to frighten them.

"Um, if I let you down, you have to promise to be quiet, okay?"

More nodding and "Yes, Lady!"

Sarah shook her head in disbelief and slowly started to lower the rope, which she had wound around a table leg. She watched them carefully, particularly the goblin in the flowery dress, who was glaring at her and did not seem the least bit happy about this.

Once they were down and untangled, the tall purple-haired goblin, who seemed to be the leader of their little group, stepped forward. He came to her shoulder, but was thin as a rake, with knobby joints and a pointed face. His long, thick hair was coated in syrup and candies, she watched apprehensively as he approached and jumped a bit when he bowed before her, scattering candies and cookie crumbs all over her feet. "Oog do as Lady says!" he announced. The others bowed as well then, flower-dressed goblin glaring all the while, and the one-eyed goblin tripping over the netting and crashing into a smaller grey goblin, who promptly squeaked and disappeared, only to reappear a moment later, looking embarrassed and bowing even lower.

"Um, yes, very good, as you were..." Sarah said uncertainly. The goblins glanced at each other, shrugged and then promptly threw themselves back into a tangled mess of limbs and stickiness.

"No, no, I meant you could stop bowing!"They all stood back up, looking relieved. Sarah had begun to realize that this mess was going to take hours to clean up, and if she didn't get started now, she wouldn't get any sleep before her morning class.

"Oh, this is a nightmare! OK, then, have you all learned your lesson? No more getting into my stuff! Off you all go now, and don't come back!" She was expecting that to be the end of it, that they would happily scurry off back to the Underground to lick themselves clean and hopefully never come back. That was not what happened. Sarah looked on in surprise and horror as five goblins began wailing and threw themselves at her feet, all shouting over each other and sounding for all the world as if she had just sentenced them to the gallows rather that set them free. Flowery dressed goblin stood where she was, looking like Sarah had just called her a dirty word.

Mindful again of her neighbors and the late hour, Sarah looked down despairingly at the pile of distraught goblins at her feet and took a deep breath. "What's wrong? Please, stop crying, quiet down, tell me what's wrong?" Tall purple-haired goblin, whom she now knew was called Oog, spoke up.

"Why our Lady banish us? What we do wrong?"

"Banish you? I didn't banish you, I was just-"

"So we can stay with our Lady, then?" the fat goblin asked hopefully.

"What do you mean 'our' Lady? And why would you stay here, this isn't your home-"

"But it is now, if you not banish us, we must stay with our Lady, we is her goblins now." Oog informed her.

"What do you mean my goblins?" Sarah asked with a growing sense of dread. "Don't you all belong to the Goblin King?"

"Not anymore," Oog explained slowly, as if to a small child "Lady has won us."

"Won you?!" She asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, Lady, by right of conquest."

"-By right of con- oh for crying out loud!" She exclaimed. This time, the clumsy one-eyed goblin spoke up.

"Lady declared war, then captured us, then we surrendered. Now we belongs to Lady." Several of the others nodded in agreement.

'Crap' thought Sarah, pulling out a chair, plopping down in it and peering through her fingers at the six goblins who had declared themselves her responsibility. 'Now what am I going to do?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Second chapter! The first was so short I felt like I had to get this one out right away.
> 
> I actually really enjoyed writing goblin dialogue, though I didn't intend for them to be so fluffy. Ah, well, at least we have Dell to be unpleasant and untrustworthy (that's the swarthy one in the flowery dress). I also know nothing about trapping, so if you do then please don't laugh at me. Well, I suppose you can laugh if you really want to, I live for your amusement.
> 
> I welcome constructive criticism. I have never written anything, in fact I have actively avoided writing for most of my life, but I love Laby fanfiction and wanted to contribute something. Let me know what you think, too fast, too slow, confusing, boring, spelling errors, things you want to see, I want the truth people.
> 
> Review or you will all be forced to eat goblin pudding! Mwahahaha!


	3. The Spoils of War

Sarah woke the next morning at dawn to the anxiety-inducing sound of laughter coming from her kitchen.

The previous night, she had stood up, completely overwhelmed and confused, and marched off to her bedroom, calling over her shoulder pleadingly for the goblins to stay put and not touch anything, before shutting and locking her door. She then applied earplugs and a concerted avoidance of reality and went to sleep. Now that morning was here, there was no more ignoring it. The bumps, laughter and grumbling coming through the bedroom wall from the kitchen were disturbing her on many levels. Sarah wondered what would happen if she packed a bag, crawled out her window, climbed down the fire escape, and ran away. She majored in mythology, after all, it wasn't like she had some glamorous future to look forward to. She could move to Ireland and join a gypsy caravan, escaping the monotony of her life and the nightmare in her kitchen all at once. The logical part of her brain reminded her that goblins were magical creatures; they could probably find her anywhere, especially now that they considered themselves 'hers'.

Deciding that hiding would get her nowhere, Sarah got out of bed and tiptoed to her bathroom to preform her morning ablutions. If she was going to deal with goblins, she was going to do it after waking up properly. Grabbing her fluffy blue robe off the end of her bed and wrapping it around her, she pushed open the bathroom door and shrieked in surprise and dismay. Sitting on her bathroom counter, rubbing her expensive Victoria's Secret lotion into its knarled feet, was one of the goblins from last night, a small blue female that looked up calmly at her yell, cocked its head sideways and was now studying her curiously like she was some zoo exhibit. Noting the sudden banging and yelling coming from her locked bedroom door, Sarah wondered how this little goblin had managed to get in, and looking around, noticed the small window was open, and that a vine of morning glories was inexplicably hanging into the shower from the window. Sarah then noticed that the shower had streaks of eyeshadow and mascara on one wall, and her ire grew.

"So YOU are the one are the one who has been messing around in here!"

The little goblin leaned back on the counter, holding out her feet to Sarah and said sweetly, with an expression of deep contentment, "Linnie soooffffft!"

Trying to decide whether she should laugh or cry, Sarah started to ask about the flowers and the rather expensive mess in her shower when a loud crash behind her sent her spinning around in surprise. Dashing towards her through the splintered remains of her bedroom door was Oog, his fat kilt-wearing companion, the thigh-height one-eyed goblin, and the small, knee-high grey goblin.

"Arrrggg! We saves the Lady!" the fat one screamed, brandishing a broom.

"Get it, bite it, scratch it, for the Lady!" the one-eyed goblin cackled gleefully, wielding the matching dustpan.

"Where is itz? What is itz? Wha'dz made you yell?" asked a confused Oog, stopping abruptly upon seeing his mistress standing in the bathroom doorway completely safe and disappointingly unmaimed.

"No, nothing is- I was just surprised by- you destroyed the door!" Sarah stammered, horrified, clutching her bathrobe around her tightly. The little bathroom goblin, Linnie, was giggling and looking rather pleased with herself for causing such a ruckus. Sarah glared at her and turned to Oog. "I'm fine, really, not in any danger at all, excepting aneurysms and an imminent mental breakdown." She snapped sarcastically.

"Lady sure? No monsters to get for you?" the one-eyed goblin asked hopefully, looking eagerly under her bed.

Looking around at the rather grotesque goblins around her, Sarah decided not to comment.

"Darry will kill the annie-surms! Annie-surms scare Lady! Where is they?" the fat one declared valiantly, wielding the broom menacingly.

"Kingy sayz he has annie-surms too sometimes, but I's not ever seez any." Oog added ponderously, scrunching up his pointed nose in thought. At the mention of the King, Sarah grew pale.

"Wait a minute; does Jar- the Goblin King know you're here?" Sarah asked fearfully. She had not seen him since beating the Labyrinth, though he was often in her thoughts. She did not imagine him to be the type who took kindly to others touching his things, or, in this case, stealing his goblins.

"Oh, nooooo" all four goblins intoned, eyes wide and faces serious. "We finds the way up, we not tell others, we keeps secret path secret from other goblins!" Darry explained in a hushed tone, as if telling her a secret.

"Would 'Kingy' be mad if he knew?" Sarah questioned. Her stomach twisted as she watched them glance surreptitiously at each other, shuffling their feet and avoiding her gaze. Sarah had had enough. She could not handle this alone.

"Hoggle, help, I need you!" she cried desperately.

After a few tense seconds, Hoggle's voice came from her vanity mirror. "Sarah? Are you alright? You sounded like—Sarah, your bedroom is full of goblins!" He said as his face appeared in the mirror.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." She said dryly.

"Well, WHY is your bedroom full of goblins? Did you invite them? Why would you invite them-"

Sarah broke down into hysterical tears.

"Oh, I'm comin' Sarah," Hoggle said, appearing beside her.

Sarah threw her arms around her friend, explaining her woes between sobs. "They were making messes, so I thought I'd try to scare them off, but it all went wrong Hoggle, they say I've won them by right of conquest or some such nonsense, and they won't leave, and everything is a mess and I have class in a few hours and I don't know what to do—"

"Wait, you won them? How? That don't make no sense." Hoggle inquired. Oog, who had moved into the bathroom with Darry to admire Linnie's artwork in the shower, hopped over and helpfully summarized the previous night's events for him.

"Dell sayz 'sweeties! Lots of sweeties!' so weez come and Lady maked us pudding! Then she caught us in a net likes fishies, and sayz we 'prisoners of war!' but she not want to eat us, no, she sayz she torture us if we don't obey her!" He said, motioning dramatically with his clawed hands.

Sarah objected. "Torture!? I never said—"

"-So weez give up and Lady wins. We bow to her, she goes to her room and we eats pudding." Oog finished, promptly losing interest and returning to the bathroom, where Linnie was making goo-goo eyes at Darry and bashfully telling him "I made you pretties," pointing towards the shower. Darry was gnawing on the bottle of lotion. Hoggle burst into laughter.

"It's not funny Hoggle! " Sarah whined petulantly, drying her eyes and trying to regain her composure and dignity while her traitorous friend doubled over in laughter at her expense. "I need your help, what do I do? Tell me how to fix this!"

Calming himself down a bit, Hoggle led Sarah from the room and into the hallway. "Well you need to get control of them, show them who's boss-"

"The last time I tried that, it massively backfired-"

"Just give them some simple rules, if you truly won them, they will be compelled to obey and protect you, just be careful with your words. Be clear." He assured her, leading her through the surprisingly clean kitchen, stepping over the swarthy, glaring goblin in the flowery dress, who was lying prostrate on the kitchen floor, clutching her belly and moaning.

"What about my classes? I can't take goblins to school with me, and if I leave them here, they will destroy everything!"

"You'll have to bring them with you; I doubt they would leave you alone even if you told them to. Don't worry, goblins are good about being unseen, they've been lurking around you for five years now without you ever really seeing them, after all." He said, sitting her down at the table and taking the seat across from her. "The biggest issue right now is what you are going to do about Jareth, he will notice some of his goblins missing, and he won't be pleased.

"Can't I just give them back to him? Set them free?"

"Sarah, you declared them prisoners of war, and won them when they surrendered to you. If you give them up to him, it would be seen as a forfeit, you would be giving that rat power over you."

"Ok, so that's definitely not going to happen. So some good rules, a firm hand, you really think that will work? And just tell the Goblin King to bite me?" Sarah blushed inwardly at the thought, wondering if he really would." Come on, Hoggle, this is crazy."

"Well, what else can you do?" Hoggle shrugged. "You don't have a bog and yer not the kicking type. I'll go back and keep an eye on Jareth for you, maybe try to keep him off your trail until we can figure something out."

"Ok then," Sarah took a deep breath "Goblins, come here."

No goblins came, save the one called Dell, who was incoherently moaning on the floor a few feet away.

"Be exact, Sarah." Hoggle reminded her. "Right words and all."

"Goblins of mine, come here right now!" Sarah said loudly, holding her breath in anticipation.

At this, the rest of the goblins came wandering curiously into the kitchen, and Sarah wasted no time in setting the rules. "Right, from now on, you must not touch anything in this apartment without my permission. You must not tell the Goblin King that you are with me. You must not be seen by any humans other than me. You will not destroy my apartment. Everyone understand?"

The goblins nodded eagerly.

"I am leaving for school in a little while; I assume you all want to come with me?" She asked with a sigh.

"We must protects the Lady!" Darry proclaimed, picking up his broom.

"Yes well, as long as no one else knows you are there, ok?" The goblins murmured their assent. "I assume you can transport yourselves?" She asked, imaging trying to cram all the goblins into her little two-seater car.

"Weez goes in the shadows, on the secret path," One-eye spoke mysteriously, wiggling his fingers. The other four cackled conspiratorially.

"Yes, um, lovely." Sarah said, raising an eyebrow. "One of you will need to stay here with Dell, I suppose-" The goblin in question snarled and managed a glare before curling back into the fetal position. "How about you, Oog."

"As Lady sayz," Oog answered, bowing.

"See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Hoggle asked, "Do you know if any of them have magic?"

Sarah stared at him, confused. "Um-"

"Darry haz magics" Darry declared, running his hand through Oog's hair. Sarah watched in surprised delight as his thick mane was transformed from purple to hot pink. "Darry makes colors change," he said, smiling and clearly proud of his work. Oog seems pleased as well, rubbing his fingers in his new doo and jumping about, cackling. "And Lurk goes invisible!" One-eye added, pointing to the little grey goblin he had fallen on the night before. 'Lurk' remained silent but nodded shyly, squeezing his eyes shut and disappearing, only to reappear moments later, to applause from everyone in the room. "Anything else?" Sarah asked, beginning to be slightly excited at the prospect of owning magical goblins.

"Linnie makes things grows!" Oog supplied enthusiastically. Sarah smiled at the small blue goblin, remembering the morning glory vine. The little goblin clasped her hands together and smiled bashfully.

"One-eye has one eye!" One-eye yelled excitedly, poking his eye-patch with one long, grey finger.

"Oog has beautiful hair!" Oog said, grinning smugly and standing tall, patting his hot pink locks.

"And Dell loves sweets!" Darry added. Dell moaned in agreement, but stayed where she was on the floor. Sarah wasn't sure how hair or missing eyes or a love for sugar could be considered magical, but, remembering the mess from last night and noticing how surprisingly clean her kitchen was now, as well as noticing how clean the other goblins were, Sarah wasn't inclined to disagree. And Oog did have rather impressive hair, especially compared to the stringy, barely there strands the other goblins possessed. Perhaps having a posse of magical goblins wouldn't be all bad.

Hoggle, as if reading her thoughts, said "Right, looks like you've got a handle on this little lady, I got to go back now, but I'll check to see how things are tonight?"

"Yes, thank you Hoggle, you are such a good friend." She said, giving him a hug.

Hoggle blushed, and hurried off to go through the mirror.

Sarah clapped her hands to get her goblins attention again, and led them all (excluding Dell, who tried to bite her when she got too close) to the couch and turned on cartoons for them so she could get ready to go. Within seconds they were mesmerized, and a pleased and optimistic Sarah hurried off to take a shower and prepare for the day, come what may.

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The Goblin King lay draped over his throne, staring listlessly out of the window. He sighed heavily, trying to tune out the mayhem around him as he brooded. He had always been relatively happy, he had (in his opinion) the most entertaining kingdom in all the underground, there was always something interesting happening, whether a wished away child and a runner in the Labyrinth, some festival or feast, or just the usual hi-jinks and merry mayhem that distinguished his kingdoms population. He had been disappointed, at first, when his father the High King Oberon had sent him to rule over the goblins, but it wasn't long before he discovered the silver lining in it. His throne room might be filled with drunken imbeciles and poultry, but, on the other hand, there was a refreshing lack of political intrigue, and the courts left him largely to his own devices. He found he was rarely bored. He had grown rather fond of his subjects over the two hundred years he had ruled, and had earned the admiration of the seelie courts by bringing many children to the Underground. The Fae were rarely able to conceive, and children were precious to them. An added benefit of this was the regular stream of female admirers, who felt his task of rescuing children and giving them to loving childless families made him the Underground's Most Eligible Bachelor. He had everything he could want, or so he had thought, until one day five years ago when his inner peace and his castle had been shattered by lovely, cruel, defiant green eyes.

The castle had been repaired, outwardly there was no sign that she had ever been here, no sign that anything was missing. Inwardly, however, the King could not forget her, could not get rid of that invisible mark she had left on him, on the land. But she had rejected him, she had left, and there was nothing for it. He knew she had been too young to understand what he had offered her, but his pride was wounded nonetheless, and he could not admit to himself that he had royally screwed it up. He imagined she would be none too pleased if he were to visit her, she had never called for him, only for that little scab Higgle and the knight and the beast. He had played her villain, done everything she asked, and then she just cast him aside when the game was over. He supposed taking her brother, almost dropping her in the bog and setting the cleaners on her might not have sent the right message, but he had only wished to fulfill her desires, to meet her expectations. Such elaborate games were as natural as breathing for his kind, but she had only been a human girl, an extraordinary one to be sure, but it was still unlikely that she had understood half the meanings behind his actions.

He stood from the throne and reappeared suddenly in the privacy of his chambers, conjuring a crystal. "Oh you precious thing…" he murmured, peering into the crystal. She was driving in her car, looking apprehensive about something. He noticed she was wearing that lovely low cut blue top again, that one that hugged her curves just so—

"Ahhhhh! I must stop this!" He fumed, vanishing the crystal with an angry flick of his wrist. "Stupid feelings, tra la la!" He stalked back and forth through his chambers, pausing as he caught sight of his reflection in the floor length mirror.

"I am the Goblin King, Lord of the Labyrinth, Prince of the Seelie Courts, I led the victorious charge against the trolls in the battle of the red sand, I have dominion over time and space, and I will not lose my head over a girl!" he spat at the mirror, pointing one long, gloved finger at his reflection as if daring it to defy him.

'Oh, but what a girl,' His traitorous thoughts supplied wistfully.

"Enough! This is beneath me!" He took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"She is gone, and she's not coming back." He finished grimly, peering at himself with disgust and mild exasperation. "Get it together, you great glittery fool."

Feeling that he had sufficiently cowed his softer side for the time being, he shrugged his shoulders and magically changed into something tighter, something with a bit more leather and glitter and a hint of danger. Grinning with smug approval at his reflection, he reappeared in the throne room in a swirl of golden glitter, deciding that a distraction was in order.

"Where is that fat goblin, the one who has power over color?" he demanded pompously of his subjects. There was some scrambling and scuffling as his goblins looked about, until a tall one with enormous ears called out "He not here, majesty!" Others called out "Not here, nope nope!"

"Well, then, go and find him!" Jareth ordered. Several goblins scurried from the throne room obediently while the rest, confidant that the king would be content with the dozen or so out looking, went back to their drinking and mischief. The King of the Goblins strutted forward, smirking arrogantly as he planned his own mischief. He hoped Hogwart would enjoy being sunshine yellow for a few weeks. He would storm and sulk and whine and cry, and provide Jareth and his goblins with an entertaining distraction.

Turning on his heel, Jareth burst out into song:

'That vile dwarf,

I love him not

A traitorous wretch,

Untrustworthy snot

What to do, oh what to do?

To keep my mind from being blue

We'll change his color!

Make him bellow!

Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Oh how we'll love to turn him yellow!

So that is what I shall do,

To keep myself from being blue.

Oh yes!

We'll make him bellow! We'll make him yellow!

That vile, wretched, traitorous fellow

We'll watch him cry, we'll watch him glower

He'll be the Labyrinth's most disgusting flower

We'll laugh with glee

We'll shake with mirth

This little prank will have its worth!

Grinning at his cheering, gleeful subjects and kicking several inebriated creatures out of his way, Jareth threw himself back onto his throne, languidly draping himself over it with feline grace and smirking in anticipation.

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Sarah sat through her morning lecture feeling jitterier than a caffeinated chihuahua. She tried to focus on the professor, but the dark shapes that no one else noticed shifting along the walls were distracting her. After arriving at class, she had realized too late that she had not specified to the goblins that they were not to destroy her classroom. She prayed to God above that they would behave themselves until she could speak to them and fix her mistake. Noticing with relief that the lecture was over and her classmates were filing out, Sarah grabbed her book bag and hurried from the building. She walked off behind the lecture hall and into the bushes, crouching down out of sight and whispered "Goblins of mine, come here right now!"

Four pairs of round yellow eyes peered through the surrounding bushes, drawing near to her.

"Whyz Lady hidin' in da bushes?" One-eye asked.

"Lady wants to play a game?" Linnie asked hopefully.

"Darry likes a game." Darry stated, shoving flowers and leaves from a nearby bush into his wide mouth and chewing them happily.

"I just wanted to talk to you guys. You are doing really well so far, but I want to make sure you know that you are not to damage anything or anyone here either, ok?"

She was answered with disappointed looks, followed by murmurs of agreement and more bowing.

"Ok, good." She sighed, relieved.

"If you guys behave yourselves today and don't cause me any trouble, I'll buy you all some ice cream tonight, deal?"

She was met with cheers and quickly hushed them, smiling at their admittedly endearing enthusiasm.

Standing up and brushing leaves from her clothes, making sure no one had noticed her squatting in the bushes and apparently talking to herself, she made her way back to the path that wound through the campus grounds, deciding to grab a coffee since she had some time to burn before her next class. She was lost in though and not looking where she was going, when she was suddenly knocked to the ground by a cashmere-clad shoulder. Grunting in pain, she glared up at the second to last person in the world she wanted to see. Marla Biggs had always been a bully, mocking and teasing Sarah all through grade school and high school. Sarah had always ignored her; she truly didn't care what others thought of her. She was less than thrilled when she discovered that the blonde diva was attending the same college as her, and, just her luck, Marla was still stuck in her old high-school drama, diva queen mindset.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, Williams. What were you daydreaming about this time, not being such a freak?" She smirked, saying Sarah's last name as if it were something unsavory on the bottom of her shoe.

"Why don't you grow up and stop acting like a snotty brat?" Sarah answered, picking herself up and rubbing her scraped elbow. Marla huffed and glared at Sarah, glancing over her shoulder at her little entourage of sorority girls. "Ladies, I think it's past time we taught her a lesson in manners, don't you?" She said sweetly. The Asian girl to her left giggled and the red-head to her right nodded in agreement as they stepped closer to Sarah. Sarah was a bit worried, Marla's bullying had never been physical , but she was very aware of how alone they were, this part of campus was very out of the way, and the path they were on was obscured from the rest of the campus grounds by thick shrubbery. Everyone else from her class had left while she was talking to her goblins.

'The goblins!' Thought Sarah 'Miss Diva might think she looks threatening what with her little posse and their razor-sharp manicures, but I have an entourage of my own'

Looking around, Sarah saw four shadows shifting about agitatedly in the brush, and then felt a nudge on her leg. Looking down, she saw nothing, but heard Darry's whispered voice "What Lady want us to do?" They were clearly not happy with this situation either, but she had specifically told them they were not to harm anyone. Perhaps, though…

Sarah grinned wickedly "Careful, Biggs, don't want to do anything you'll regret. Why don't you just go and disappear?" She said pointedly, hoping little Lurk got the idea.

"Excuse me, who do you think-" Marla began, only to be cut off by the shrieks of the other girls.

"Marla, where are you!" the Asian girl screamed.

"What did you do with her, you freak?!" The scantily clad red head yelled furiously at Sarah.

"What are you idiots talking about, I'm right here- ahhhh- I can't- Oh my god, I'm invisible, there's something on my leg, get it off, get it off!" Squealed the disembodied voice of Marla Biggs.

Shaking with suppressed laughter, Sarah choked out "What are you talking about? Are you losing you mind, Marla? I can see you just fine."

Marla suddenly reappeared and started backing away from Sarah in horror.

"Leaving so soon? You were just starting to grow on me," Sarah taunted mockingly.

Linnie took the hint. Flowery vines sprung from the path, wrapping around the girl's feet, tripping them and causing them to land in an undignified shrieking heap on the path.

"What's wrong ladies, you look a little green." Sarah asked in mock concern before dissolving into wicked laughter again. Upon noticing their unnatural, grass colored complexions, the three women broke out in hysterical sobs, pulling frantically at the vines and freeing themselves. Sarah watched in triumphant joy as they sprinted heedlessly down the path and away from her. After over a decade of harassment, this bit of revenge felt good. Taking a deep, calming breath, Sarah looked fondly at the four goblins that had reappeared before her. "Well done, you lot, that was brilliant." Her goblins beamed proudly at her, and Sarah almost wanted to pull them in for a hug.

Looking at Darry, she said "Best turn them back to their normal color before anyone sees them." Darry nodded, picking up Lurk and disappearing from view. Sarah decided that having her own goblins might not be so bad after all.

The rest of the day passed for the most part without issue, though Sarah did use the goblins one more time to chase off an uncouth frat-boy who felt the need to play grab-ass as he passed her in a hallway. He was unlikely to be disrespectful to women again anytime soon, Sarah mused, remembering how he had run off amidst roaring laughter, bewildered and with his pants around his ankles. They had been in a crowded hallway and he hollered in indignation when his trousers were mysteriously pulled down by something unseen. No matter how many times he tried to pull them back up, the unseen force yanked them back down, causing him to fall all over himself. It had been glorious.

Now on her way home, with plenty of ice cream, Sarah worried what Oog and Dell had gotten up to all day, and if Dell had recovered from her sugar coma. Pulling up to the curb, Sarah grabbed her bags and hurried up to her door. She sighed with relief upon seeing the other two goblins sitting on the couch, sucked into a television show. Letting the rest of her critters scuttle into the apartment, Sarah went to get bowls and spoons. She served her goblins their ice-cream and plopped down on the couch with them to unwind with a good movie.

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In the underground, Jareth's good mood was quickly ebbing away. The large-eared goblin in front of him had just informed him that the color-changing goblin could not be found. Not only that, but five others had been discovered missing as well. His goblins often wandered off and got into trouble, but never had any of them gone missing for more than a few hours, and they were always easily located with a crystal. The last any of them had been seen was yesterday morning, and he could not see anything when he searched for them in his crystals now. "What could have happened to them?" He worried aloud, touching his finger to his mouth. The large eared goblin looked at him strangely. Suddenly remembering his impressionable audience, he quickly added "Well?! Find those imbecilic scabs, where ever they are, and drag them back here!" This seemed to please those listening, and they ran off to do his bidding happily.

Leaving the throne room, Jareth joined in the search as well; a niggling sense of dread growing in his mind as he fruitlessly searched the goblin city and the labyrinth beyond. He would never admit it, but he was quite worried about his missing subjects. He suspected they were no longer in the labyrinth, and worried that they had been taken against their will, that they were locked up and being tortured this very minute. He had enemies in the underground, one did not live as long as his four and a half centuries without making a few at least, and they would be glad to use his goblins against him, whether to hurt or to manipulate him. He had been searching for hours with no luck, a quick check in a crystal let him know that the others had not had done any better. With a heavy sigh, he transported himself to his chambers, the suns had set and there was nothing more that could be done today. Flopping dejectedly onto his bed, he stared absent-mindedly at the ceiling, planning a more thorough search for tomorrow. He would need to contact his friends at court and in the other kingdoms to see if anything was amiss, anything that might point to a potential goblin-napper.

But right now he needed to rest, it had been a long day and he would have to be on his game when he went to deal with the other Fae tomorrow. Closing his eyes, he sighed in frustration as he noticed that he had once more absentmindedly conjured a crystal of her, he had to break this habit of checking on her before he went to sleep, it was not good for him. All he had to do was get rid of the crystal….

He held its warm weight in his hand, keeping his eyes shut tight and willing himself to twist his wrist and make it disappear. But this particular habit was just too hard to break.

Sighing in defeat, he opened his eyes, and, telling himself it would just be a quick glance, he gazed unseeing for a moment before he shot out of bed. Standing in shock, gaping wide-eyed at the crystal held tightly in his gloved hand, Jareth tried to reconcile himself with what he saw. For a moment, he felt himself frozen in confusion and surprise. In the depths of the crystal sat Sarah, surrounded by goblins! By his goblins, the ones he had spent hours frantically searching for! They sat innocently all in a row, eating something out of a bowl and happily watching Sarah's picture box with her, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. All the worry and fear from the day crashed down upon him at once and quickly turned to rage. He threw the crystal, smashing it against the wall in frustration. "Take what's mine, will you, little girl? We'll see about that" he growled. His eyes narrowed as he violently jerked his shoulders, magically changing into his most intimidating costume before disappearing in an ominous swirl of black glitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author note:
> 
> So, we meet the goblins and Jareth enters the story. I hope I did him justice, he is difficult for me write for some reason. I even tried to get into character by dressing up in tights, boots and a slightly inappropriate shirt, strutting around the house, misusing my furniture and ordering my children to laugh (they didn't need much encouragement). 
> 
> I even tried to send my husband to the bog, but I apparently have no power over him. The look on his face, however, was priceless ;-). 
> 
> How do you like my Jareth? Is he convincingly in character? And which goblin is your favorite?
> 
> Did anyone catch the Harry Potter reference?


	4. Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

The rain pattered steadily against the window pane as the storm rolled in, thunder rumbling in the distance. Sarah decidedly turned her mind away from the memories thunder brought and back to the charmingly witty banter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who was stalking something in a graveyard while wearing ridiculously impractical shoes.

"Waz she doin' with the water?" Oog questioned.

"It's holy water, it repels vampires." Sarah informed him, munching on some popcorn.

"Oh yah? Waz 'repel' mean?" Dell sneered, as if Sarah had just made up the word to sound smart.

"Means it makes them go away." Sarah deadpanned, looking pointedly at the unpleasant little creature.

The goblin stared at the TV, pretending she hadn't heard.

"Buffy pretty, like Lady, if Lady had hair like King." Linnie sighed dreamily.

"Thanks, Linnie." Sarah smiled at the little blue goblin.

"Lady wants hair likes that?" Darry asked, reaching toward Sarah's hair.

"No thank you, "Sarah laughed, leaning away from him.

"Kill it with the stick!" Cheered One-eye, waving his spoon encouragingly at the screen.

Lurk nodded excitedly in agreement.

After a while the thunder grew louder and a few flashes of lightning had the goblins fidgeting nervously, Sarah tried to reassure them that this weather was perfectly normal Aboveground and was nothing to worry about. Still, they seemed uneasy, and it was clear they were just putting on brave faces to please her. Sarah wondered how to calm them, and then wondered at her concern. Just this morning she had been desperate for a way to be rid of them, but now she was finding herself thinking of them as her goblins. In a very short time, Sarah had become quite fond of them, well, most of them. In any case it had been quite a while since anyone, human or otherwise, had wanted to spend time with her.

Sarah had found dating to be disappointing and rather anti-climactic. Her and her friends in high school had been typical boy-crazy teenagers, giggling and twittering on. Her friends soon had boyfriends, but after her first few unsuccessful dates (that Sarah had only agreed to in order to placate her step-mother.) She had begun to think something was wrong with her. She had expected to feel butterflies, sparks, mild vertigo, something. Instead, she likened dating to drinking flat soda, found it about as thrilling as folding laundry. Boys seemed to find some kind of undefinable fault in her as well, exalting the virtues of friendship after only one or two dates, and then avoiding her altogether. None of them could ever clearly articulate exactly why they seemed so repelled by her, one had told her that he 'felt weird around her', another had actually admitted that she 'gave him the willies'. As a result, Sarah had never even gotten past first base. Even her female friends seemed to want to distance themselves from her, and they all gradually drifted apart in the past few years. Maybe that was why she had grown attached to the goblins so quickly , she was willing to admit it to herself, she was lonely.

Sarah was brought out of her thoughts by a strange, scratching, thumping noise coming from the front door. 'Well that's just weird,' she thought, scooting Linnie off her lap and getting up to see what it could be. Maybe the wind had blown something against her door. She reached for the door handle and jumped a bit as the power went out, and, fighting a strong sense of déjà vu, she grabbed her pepper spray from the shelf and turned the knob.

Opening the door a crack, she peeked out into the semi darkness. The other apartments appeared to still have power, and she couldn't see anything unusual on her porch. Unlocking the bolt, Sarah stepped out to take a better look—

"Lady, don't-"

-and screamed as she was dive-bombed by something large and feathery. She stumbled back into the apartment, but it followed her, beating its wings about her head and knocking the pepper spray from her hands. She tripped over a chair and went sprawling onto the floor, holding her arms up to protect her face.

But the bird was gone, and as Sarah lowered her arms she gasped in shock as she looked up at none other than the Goblin King, in all his glittery glory. He looked the same as he had all those years ago, when he had come on another stormy night in her parents' bedroom. He wore all black, but was somehow even more intimidating than he had been before, perhaps because he towered over her as she lay on the floor at his feet, or perhaps it was the hard glint in his eye and grim look on his face.

Heart racing, Sarah attempted to scramble backwards away from him, but he followed her until she hit the couch (which was suddenly void of any goblins) and could go no further.

"Goblin King. What are you doing here? What do you want?" She tried to sound confidant but her words came out in a panicked voice.

He crouched down to look her in the eye, invading her personal space and effectively trapping her in her vulnerable position.

"Why, Sarah, I believe that you have something of mine, six somethings to be exact. I have come to take them back." He spoke in a soft, silky voice that belied the tumultuous emotions flickering just below the surface. He reached out and ran a strand of her hair through his fingers. "Where. Are. They."

Sarah gaped like a fish out of water. "Well—they, - you see,-I,-"

"Weez here, yer majesty!" Spoke the traitorous voice of Dell, poking out from behind the couch.

The Goblin King smirked triumphantly down at Sarah, who did her best to glare up at him in return.

Dell attempted to go to the King, but was stopped by a large, clawed hand attached to the stick-thin green arm of Oog, who began whispering furiously in her ear. She frowned unhappily and stood still, slumping her shoulders a bit. A few other goblins peeked out from behind the sofa to peer at the King.

"Tsk, tsk. Game's over, love, I don't know how or why you lured my subjects here, but I'll be making sure it doesn't happen again, and you best be good and try not to take what doesn't belong to you from now on, hmmm?" he spat at Sarah in a low voice.

Sarah's eyes narrowed, and she took a breath, ready to throw his hypocritical words back in his face, but he wasn't done.

"What, no apology? No excuses? No 'but I didn't mean it'? I see you are the same spoiled child that you were before, with no regard for others. You have wasted my time, Sarah, and that is a very unwise thing to do."

'Stop, you idiot, you are screwing it up all over again!' He thought to himself, seeing the shock and hurt on her face, but he was in too deep now. He realized that she had not stolen them; no sane person would want to keep goblins, after all. He had also noticed the magic surrounding Sarah, noticed how the shadows seemed to shimmer and lean towards her. The magic was very familiar to him, it was the magic of the Labyrinth, and he had no idea why it was attached to Sarah. He was also sure that she was mostly unaware of it, or at least of what it was, and that unnerved him. How long had it been like this? How had it come about? He cursed himself silently for not checking on her in person before now, this much magic, Labyrinth magic, would attract all sorts of unpleasant things. The Underground was not the only place where fairy tale creatures lurked, there were plenty in her world that would be drawn to this magic like moths to a flame. He had to do something, but it was too late to play the hero. He had thoughtlessly lashed out and she wouldn't trust him now. He did not want a confrontation with her; those didn't seem to go particularly well for him. Time to retreat, he could figure out how to fix this from the relative peace of his castle.

He stood up and turned away from her dismissively, walking towards the door and calling over his shoulder "Goblins, come!"

Sarah hauled herself to her feet, her indignation growing.

"I said, Goblins, come!"

Five goblins came out from behind the sofa and stood by a furious Sarah, but went no further.

"What are you doing? Do you all want to be bogged? We're going home, now. COME."

"We is home, Majesty," One-eye informed him apologetically.

"What-" Jareth started.

Oog quickly gave his former King a brief run-down of the previous night's events, as he had for Hoggle earlier.

"The Lady Sarah won us, she followed all yous combat roolz," Darry noted tentatively.

"We haz to stay now," Dell sighed dejectedly, picking up her empty ice-cream bowl from hours previous and licking it for comfort.

"They won't listen to you, Goblin King, because you no longer have any power over them." Sarah bit out viciously.

Now it was the Goblin King's turn to gape like a fish.

"You come storming in here uninvited, like some kind of avian Kool-Aid man, thinking you could insult me and take my goblins, that I apparently, albeit unintentionally, won fair and square? Well how about this, bird brain,"

Several goblins gave scandalized gasps and the Goblin King quirked an eyebrow.

"There is no game this time, but if there was, I would have won it, I beat you before and I'd beat you again! The goblins are mine and I'm not giving them up to you, so why don't you just fly off back to your castle find someone else to bully? Hmmm?" She finished angrily.

The silence was deafening.

Sarah stood fuming in the semi-darkness, too pumped with adrenaline to feel any fear or to notice the horrified looks on her goblins faces, as they wrung their hands and bit their tongues, eyes darting back and forth between the silent fae and their mistress. The Goblin King lowered his gaze, and for one shining, incredible, rainbows and sunshine moment, Sarah thought that would be the end of it.

Then, he straightened and her stomach dropped, the hard glint had returned to his eyes and, even worse, now he was smiling.

He did not advance again, but cocked his head to the side in a rather bird-of-prey like fashion, looking her up and down slowly, from her Sonic the Hedgehog PJs to her bare feet with their chipped red toenail polish. His eyes lingered on her bare legs and Sarah felt herself redden.

"I accept."

"What." Sarah was thrown. "Accept what, I didn't offer—"

"-Offer, no," He said sadly. "But you did just challenge me." He stood with his hands on his hips, wild hair glowing and cape sparkling in the street light streaming through the window, smile widening to show sharp teeth. 'He looks magnificent' her libido supplied unhelpfully. She scowled, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. 'Get it together girl, he has no power over you, he has no power' She chanted internally.

Nevertheless, her anger was quickly being replaced by uncertainty. "What are you talking about?" She asked in what she hoped was an uncaring manner.

The goblin king chuckled. "You said, and I quote: '-and I'd beat you again'. I believe that qualifies as a challenge, and I accept."

Sarah rolled her eyes in a show of false bravado. "Well then, take a seat, your majesty. Afraid all I've got right now is Scrabble or Uno."

He laughed outright at this, and said "I mean to make a bargain with you, girl. Rest assured, my only concern is my goblins well-being. " He drawled in a velvety voice, the dangerous glint in his eyes and the twitch at the edge of his mouth making it quite plain to Sarah that the goblins were definitely not his only concern.

"Do you take me for a fool? I'll not make any bargains with you, Goblin King." She hissed at him defiantly.

He held his hands behind his back and sauntered casually over to her, smirking at her under hooded eyes, stopping a mere foot away from her.

'Gulp,' Sarah's eyes widened, but she held her ground this time. 'He looks like he wants to swallow me whole.'

Jareth was indeed thinking along those lines, even briefly considering just throwing her over his shoulder and carting her off to his castle, as any other of his kind would have done by now. He had a lovely tower he could keep her in until her objections were exhausted, but, he knew better than to believe that she would ever surrender to such circumstances. Her will was, after all, as strong as his. He would rather have no Sarah at all than an unwilling Sarah, her rejection five years ago had been painful enough, and having this deliciously adult Sarah living in his castle and rejecting him day after day would be unbearable.

He had decided that perhaps it would be best if she did keep some goblins about her, for protection. Besides, thanks to the stupid rules he himself had made up decades ago, he no longer had any power over these particular goblins, she had indeed won them. But there was no need to tell her any of that. He would play on her weaknesses, on her noble and caring heart, to get her to do what he wanted.

"Of, course, precious thing, I forget that you are an expert on goblins." He said cheerfully. "You will of course have educated yourself on their proper care, know how to keep them healthy in a world so deficient of magic. You will be aware of the detrimental effects that remaining Aboveground for any extended period of time will have on them, and know how to remedy it. My apologies."

He bowed mockingly and turned away from her again, walking to the door.

Sarah gaped, stunned by what he had said. 'Look who has egg on her face. He's right, I have no idea what I'm doing here, and he is the Goblin King, but what if he's lying? What if he's not? Am I willing to risk them?' She looked down at the big, round eyes looking up at her, and then at the small, blue goblin holding tightly to her leg, and the answer was plain to her. If she gave them back, she would be giving him power over her, but maybe if she bargained with him...

"Goblin King, wait."

He opened the door that the wind had slammed shut and started out into the storm.

"Wait, please."

He stopped at that, turning slowly back to her, with a grin that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame.

"Yes, Sarah?"

Sarah bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment in defeat. "What's your bargain?"

The Goblin King stepped back into the room, looking far too pleased with himself. He twisted his wrist and a crystal appeared, and he rolled it back and forth over his leather-clad fingers, just as he had done before.

"A crystal, nothing more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was telling off my son today and he yelled "Tra-La-La!" and ran away. This kid has NEVER SEEN Labyrinth and I don't believe I have ever told him that quote. I just stood there for a moment, in fandom-induced shock. Freaky, right? Yes, I know this has nothing to do with the story, but I have no one else to talk to about Labyrinth stuffs, so deal. These are the Author notes, and I am the Author, and I deem this noteworthy. Ahem.
> 
> So anyway, this chapter was originally supposed to be about twice as long, but my fingers got tired so I cut it in half and I felt this was a good place to leave it off. Also, I just realized that I have written over ten thousand words without any mention of David Bowies Crotch, I am so proud of (and somewhat surprised at) myself! However, rest assured, this trend will not last. Please review! Oh, and if anyone has any good ideas for pranks to play on the Goblin King that they would like to possibly appear in this story, let me know (wiggles eyebrows mischievously).
> 
> OH, and I have apparently been negligent and forgotten to put in disclaimers. And so, without further ado:
> 
> Jareth the Goblin King, Sarah Williams, The Labyrinth and Hoggle are the property of Henson or whoever has most recently purchased the rights to them. I only own my goblins. This applies to the entire story, because there is no way I'll remember to do this for every chapter.


	5. Down the rabbit hole

Sarah glared at the crystal ball sitting innocently on top of her coffee table. It was a whitish opaque and had a faint glow that pulsed rhythmically, like some kind of living jewel. The Goblin King had told her that it would emit the small amount of magic that the goblins would need, nothing to worry about. It would not break and would just look like a baseball or something equally innocuous to other people.

In exchange, he had said, Sarah would call for him on a semi-regular basis, so that he could make sure that she wasn't "ruining his goblins what with her silly mortal ideas and feminine notions", and to ensure that the crystal was still working. He promised her that no harm would come to her, and warned her that she had best accept this deal, as he would not offer his generous assistance again. Sarah, unable to find anything objectionable other than his pompous attitude, had begrudgingly accepted the crystal and the terms. She had ignored the alarm bells going off in her head and the little voice that told her that this 'bargain' was far too easy.

She had asked how any of this pertained to her 'beating him again', as that had been his reason for wanting to bargain with her in the first place, but he had only given her an enigmatic smile in response.

He had looked curiously at her goblins as if there was something puzzling about them, and then, warning her not to forget her part, had flown off into the storm.

Now, the next day, she couldn't quell the growing feeling that something was amiss, that not all was as it seemed. She carried the crystal everywhere with her, as the Goblin King had insisted, always expecting something bad to suddenly happen. But it just sat there, all deceptive innocence, like some kind of benevolent soap bubble. Sarah was not fooled. There had to be some kind of mistake she'd made, some loophole she had missed. Despite his claiming otherwise, Sarah did not believe for a second that he had done this out of the goodness of his heart. She had accepted out of concern for her goblins, now she hoped she hadn't made a serious mistake.

She smiled as she looked over at the goblins, who were entertaining themselves with a game of twister.

"Right foot on blue!" cried Dell, crouching over the spinner like a dragon guarding her hoard.

"Linnie can't reach!" squeaked Linnie from somewhere under the other three.

"Dat's not right, dat's left!" Complained Oog tto One-eye. "Youz cheatin'!"

"Am not!"

"Left hand on yellow!" Dell demanded.

"Wait, I'm stuck…"

"Right foot on blue," Darry repeated slowly, reaching precariously for a nearby circle.

Darry stared to slip, and their arguing turned into muffled yells as the larger goblin collapsed on top of them with an "Ooof". Sarah watched with mild amusement as they untangled themselves and dissolved into riotous laughter.

"Again, again!" They cheered, smoothing out the game.

"Left hand on red!" Dell demanded impatiently.

Sarah looked at Lurk, who had decided to refrain from the game and instead sat next to her on the couch while she studied, picking through a bowl of fruit loops.

"Well, they certainly seem to be in good health." She told him.

The small grey goblin gave her a little smile and went back enjoying his snack.

Her goblins were fine, and would continue to be fine, but Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that she had been tricked. And as if the bloody crystal wasn't enough to worry about, she was also worried that something had happened to Hoggle. The previous night had been rather distracting and overwhelming, so she hadn't noticed until this morning that her friend hadn't come back to check on her as he had said he would. When she tried to call him through the mirror, there was no answer. She had called Sir Diddymus and hurriedly explained everything to him, and he had promised to see if he could find out what, if anything, was amiss. After she had finished her classes for the day, she had run straight home and tried calling for him again, still nothing.

So now she sat, working on her mythology essay, trying and failing to keep her mind off her troubles. What could have kept Hoggle from coming back? What was Aphrodite's son's name? Was he alright? What was Aeneas the prince of again? Did Hoggle get hurt trying to help her?

Finally, she threw down her pen in frustration and started pacing the length of her apartment; glaring at the crystal every time she passed by it. The goblins, as if sensing her stressed mood, kept uncharacteristically quiet. Finally she could bear it no longer.

"Sir Diddymus! Are you able to talk right now?" She called into the mirror.

"My Lady?" She let out a deep breath in relief.

A very muddy Sir Diddymus peered out at her from her bedroom mirror, with an equally muddy Ludo behind him.

"Any news? Did you find him?" She asked.

"Yes we have, but we are having trouble getting him out-"

"Out of what?"

"He appears to have fallen into a rather deep pit whilst trying to hide from His Majesty." Sir Diddymus informed her. Well, that explained the state they were in, at least.

'That rat!' Sarah fumed "Is he hurt?"

"He is unharmed, my Lady, but does not wish to leave the hole, and we cannot lift him out against his will, it is too dark-"

"What do you mean; he doesn't want to come out? Does he plan on staying in there forever?" She asked, exasperated. "What could be so terrible that he would want to stay in a filthy hole?" She wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure of the specifics, my Lady, but several goblins were overheard discussing a plan to torment him for the King's amusement-"

"That's horrible!" Sarah gasped.

"Shall we continue trying to liberate him, my Lady? Or dost thou wish us to leave him be?"

Sarah pondered. What she wanted was to be able to talk to Hoggle herself, he was always there for her, and now she felt helpless to do the same for him. She looked up sharply as a thought struck her.

"Sir Diddymus, you and the others use this mirror to come and go between worlds, do you think I could use it, as well?"

"I do not know my Lady, try reaching forth, and picturing the forest outside of the garbage city, if you can."

Sarah focused intently, picturing clearly in her mind the strange plants and glittery trees, remembering the tangy otherworldly smell and mentally wished she could really be there and then reached forward and—

Her hand pushed against the mirror, solid and unyielding.

She tried again, no luck.

"It's no use," she sighed. "Nothing is going my way lately." She pouted glumly at her knees for a moment before feeling a tap at her shoulder. She looked back and jumped. Oog was there, as well as the rest of her goblins. She didn't know when they had abandoned their game and come into the bedroom or how much they had heard, but now they all stood behind her, round eyes shining and staring at her strangely.

"Lady want to go Underground?" Implored Oog, pointing a clawed hand at the mirror.

Sir Diddymus suddenly gave her an enigmatic smile. "Perhaps, my Lady, a bit of goblin magic is what you need."

Her eyes lit up and she turned to Oog. "Can you take me through? To the Underground?"

He nodded happily, as did the others, as they closed in about her, still wearing that strange look on their misshaped faces.

"And bring me back here again?" She added.

"Lady haz the secret path, always near her, we show her, we show her," One-eye whispered excitedly.

"This isn't the first time you've mentioned this 'secret path'," Sarah noted warily. "What is it? Can't we just use the mirror?"

"Mirror not for peoples," Oog explained briskly. "We knows how to walk the path, we walks it for years now." The others were pressed close around her now, leering and shifting excitedly from foot to foot.

"Come Lady," Oog urged, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Come, close your eyes, Oog will guide youz feet to the path."

"And you will be able to bring me back again, right?" Sarah pressed.

They nodded impatiently, starting to giggle manically and nudging her forward, bubbling over with a kind of nervous energy. Their behavior was unnerving, but, strangely, Sarah was not afraid.

"Alright," she conceded, closing her eyes. "Lead the way."

At this they nudged her forward more insistently, murmuring excitedly. Sarah wondered how she hadn't run into any of her bedroom furniture by now, as the goblins continued to lead her blindly. Suddenly Sarah felt a piercing coldness all around her, a cold so sharp and penetrating that her very bones felt to be made of ice and her breath was stolen from her lungs. She took another step and noticed that she seemed to be walking on air, and felt that there was no up, no down, and it was dark and so cold, and then she was turning, slowly at first, then spinning faster and faster and faster and she felt as if she were being crushed and pulled apart at the same time—

And then there was solid ground under her feet again. She fell to the wonderfully warm, solid earth, gasping and shivering. Opening her eyes, she watched as the dazzling forest around her slowly came into focus. Her ears were ringing, and it was a moment before she could make out the voice of Sir Diddymus, calling for her from a short distance away.

"I'm here," she managed in a small, weak voice.

"I'm here!" She managed a little louder, but still not loud enough. As her vision focused she looked around for her goblins and noticed with alarm that only four remained and that they were getting further and further away, chasing each other gleefully through the foliage.

"Goblins of mine come here, right now." She called weakly.

They stopped their wild game and came over to her.

"Where are the others?" She asked dazedly.

"Dell and One-eye stayed behind to guard the path" Oog informed her. "Why Lady sitting on the ground?"

"Lady Okay?" Darry asked with concern, patting her shoulder.

"Yah, I'll be alright, I just wasn't expecting that," She stood up shakily and tried to rub some feeling back into her limbs.

"Can one of you go and get Sir Diddymus and Ludo and bring them here?" She asked, leaning against a tree, legs still too shaky to walk just yet.

Lurk nodded and took off in the direction where the little knight's voice was still calling.

A few minutes later, Ludo came crashing through the brush, followed by Sir Diddymus and Ambrosias.

Lurk sat happily on Ludo's shoulder, pointing over to where Sarah and the other goblins stood under a tree.

"Sawah!" Ludo cried happily.

"Hey big guy, how you doing?" Sarah greeted him.

"My Lady, you made it! Thank goodness, I was worried when we didn't see you right away. Are you well? You look a bit peaky."

"I'm alright." Sarah assured them. "Traveling by goblin express was rather unpleasant though."

"Do you need to rest a while?" The little knight inquired courteously.

"No, we best be moving, I don't want to draw any unwanted attention."

Sarah had realized belatedly that waltzing into the Underground uninvited might not have been the best of ideas. She wondered if the Goblin King would be aware of her visit, and how he might react. Would he try to keep her there? Make her run the Labyrinth again, this time for her own freedom? Would her goblins go up against their old king for her? She began looking around nervously, as if expecting him to jump out from behind a tree at any moment, crowing triumphantly and ordering his minions to drag her away.

As she took in her surrounding, she noticed with a strange pang that this was the exact spot where she had eaten the hallucinogenic peach five years ago. 'Nope, not going to think about that right now.' She thought stubbornly. Sighing, she shook her head. For better or worse, she was here now, she thought. Might as well do what she came for.

"Can you take me to where Hoggle is, Sir Diddymus?"

"Of course, my Lady, right this way," he said with a small bow.

Sarah followed her friends through the forest with her four goblins trailing along behind her. 'What a strange procession we make' she thought bemusedly. A fox riding a dog, an enormous orange beast, herself, a tall, stick-thin goblin with hot pink hair (which had been braided and woven with flowers by Linnie earlier), a fat goblin wearing a kilt, looking like some kind of enormous celtic potato, and the two smaller goblins bouncing along behind. If the Goblin King did come for her, she would probably have plenty of time to get away while he laughed himself silly, she mused. Following a crooked dirt path through the thick foliage, they soon arrived at Hoggle's hole. It resembled a fox den, but much larger. Sarah could see how someone could have fallen into it on accident, it was almost completely obscured by tall weeds, some of which had been pulled, she assumed, by Ludo and Sir Diddymus.

Squatting down near the edge and peering down into the darkness, she thought she could make out some movement. "Hoggle, are you down there?"

"Sarah? What're you doin' here?!" Came an alarmed reply from the bottom of the hole.

"I had my goblins bring me. I've come to get you out of this hole." She informed him briskly. "Ludo has a rope right here, he'll lower it down and you can grab on and we'll pull you up."

"No! I'm staying right where I am, and you have to get back Aboveground right now, Sarah! What are you thinkin' coming to the Underground? Have you lost your damn mind?" He hollered up at her.

"I came here because I was worried about you! And I'm not leaving until you come out of there." She said stubbornly.

"No! I'm staying right here. That rat has some mischief planned for me again, and I can't take it anymore! The last few years he's been worse to me than ever before, and I've had enough! I'm just gunna sit here till he forgets who I am."

Sarah felt bad for a moment, she was sure his ongoing friendship with her was at least partially responsible for his troubles, but she was not about to give up and let her friend sit alone in a dark muddy hole having a pity party.

"Fine, then, I'll just have to come down there and get you myself." She said impatiently, grabbing the rope and beginning to lower herself into the hole.

"What are you doing, you crazy girl? I'm not coming up, I mean it!"

"I'll tell you what I'm doing," She called down to him, pausing in her descent. "I'm going to come down there and tie you up, then Ludo is going to haul us both back up here, where you will sit and talk to me about what is going on and let me help you."

"Don't you dare! You try to tie me up and I'll, I'll… oh forget it, you bloody impossible girl. Stay up there Sarah, you win, you win. I'll come up." He grumbled in defeat.

"That's more like it," Sarah grinned, hauling herself back up to stand by her amused companions.

They hauled up Hoggle, who was muttering darkly and covered head to toe in mud, then made their way over to a nearby creek so that her three friends could clean up a bit. After they had rinsed most of the mud off, Sir Diddymus and Ludo hugged Sarah and bid her farewell, promising to call on her later. They had been away from their posts for most of the day and had to hurry back and hope their absence had not been noted.

Sitting on a log, Sarah patted the spot beside her and Hoggle sat down, not meeting her eye.

"I've let you down, Sarah, I was supposed to be distracting Jareth from finding out about your goblins, instead I ended up hiding away like a coward." He said dejectedly, staring at his feet.

"Oh Hoggle, I don't hold it against you, Sir Diddymus said that he was after you. Won't you tell me what's going on?" She implored him.

"Oh, you'll just laugh at me," He began.

"I promise, I won't laugh." She assured him.

He sat there quietly for a moment, deciding whether or not to tell her.

"He was going to turn me yellow!" Hoggle burst out suddenly.

"Yellow?" Sarah asked, giving him a blank stare.

"Yes, I overheard some goblins talkin' about it; can you imagine me walkin' around bright yellow from head to toe, looking like a bloody daffodil? Even the fairies would be laughin' at me." Hoggle fumed.

"That dastardly villain." She said with a smirk, trying very hard not to laugh at the mental image of Hoggle as a flower.

"Oh, forget you," Hoggle waved a hand dismissively at her and jumped down off the log.

"Hoggle, wait, forgive me, it's not funny at all." She lied, putting on a convincingly serious face.

"Doesn't matter. We need to get you home before Jareth finds out about you being here, and finds out his missing goblins are with you, now."

"Um, too late, he knows about the goblins." She informed him regretfully.

"WHAT! Are you alright? He didn't do nothin' to you, did he?"

She stood up, lifting her arms out at her sides and turning in a slow circle. "I'm perfectly fine, see? Although I suspect he is up to something, he came to my apartment last night and wouldn't leave until I agreed to accept a crystal from him. He was acting suspicious about it, and the terms of the deal were just too easy. "

"A crystal? What for?"

She filled him in on the deal she had made, about how he had said that goblins needed magic to survive and how all she had to do in return for the crystal was invite him over on occasion to check on the goblins.

"Well, he was right about the goblins needin' magic, and you are right about him being up to something." Hoggle informed her regretfully.

"What do you mean?" She asked worriedly.

"Sarah, you've been had. You are surrounded by magic, have been as long as I've known you. You don't need some crystal to supply magic for your goblins; just being around you would have been more than enough. And there is no way Jareth didn't know that, any creature familiar with magic can tell it's there just by lookin' at you."

"Then what did he want me to take the crystal for?" Sarah exclaimed in alarm.

"I don't know, but if I was you, I would get rid of it as soon as possible."

Sarah nodded, staring at her feet and trying not to panic. She knew she should have trusted her instincts and not gotten distracted by her tendency for heroics.

"Come on, let's get you home little lady," Hoggle said, taking her hand and beginning to lead her over to where her goblins were playing.

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"No. Not just yet, anyway. The Goblin King wants to play me for a fool, I'm not just going to go home and pout about it. I can't let him get away with it." She said with a look of angry determination.

"Oh, no," Hoggle groaned. "What stupidity are you planning now?"

Sarah didn't answer him right away, angrily thinking about the triumphant smirk the Goblin King had worn when she had agreed to his terms and accepted the crystal. She bet he was sitting in his throne room right now, telling the goblins how easy it had been to trick her, mocking her, laughing at her. She knew she should just leave it well enough alone, but her pride had been deeply wounded by His Royal Glitteryness. She had quite literally fallen at his feet and then begged him to stay, while he had mocked, ridiculed, and insulted her. And leered at her, she remembered with an angry blush. Despite all that, she had taken a leap of faith and accepted his 'help', only to discover now that it was all a trick. He likely thought her easy prey. She wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing, but she had no intention of letting him win it. She needed to show him that she was not going to play by his rules, that he still had no power over her. She looked over at the bushes near the creek where her goblins were hiding, flinging rocks and mud at unsuspecting birds and other varied wildlife. Noticing that Oog's hair was now a fetching shade of mint green, a plan began forming in her mind.

Turning to Hoggle with an innocent smile, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a jeweled hair clip and held it out to him. "Can you take me to the castle beyond the goblin city?" She asked sweetly, only half in jest. He let his head fall into his hands and groaned.

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Jareth glared at the chicken before him as if it alone was responsible for all the woe in the world.

"How did they get there in the first place?" He demanded. The tan-colored bird eyed him curiously, tilting its head to one side.

"They should not have been able to get Aboveground, not without being wished for, which I would have known about the moment it happened," He continued indignantly. "It makes no sense; goblins cannot transport themselves between worlds, not without a wish, not without me." The chicken fluffed its feathers in what he chose to construe as an empathetic manner.

"It must have something to do with the magic clinging to her, not that I have any answers as to that, either." He bit out, leaning forward and tapping his lip with a finger. Thinking again of the Labyrinth magic that had been so prominent around Sarah last night, he shook his head in dismay.

"Well at least she took the crystal, now I'll know if she's in any danger and be able to protect her." He sighed. The chicken pecked the floor indulgently. He had led Sarah to believe that the crystal was needed to keep her goblins well. In reality, it was a type of alarm system. If anyone tried to harm Sarah, he would be magically alerted.

"Not that she'll ever know," He sighed bitterly.

Jareth had frequently imagined what a potential reunion with Sarah would be like; he had in fact created a quite colorful fantasy about it, the details of which varied depending on his mood and the time of day. It usually involved him rescuing her from some unspeakable evil, causing her to throw herself at him in gratitude. Other times he was the unspeakable evil, and she would realize that she was powerless to resist his seductive charms. Now that was another dream shattered. He had not been prepared to see her face to face, to see her gazing at him in awe, to breath in her sweet smell when he got too close, to see that beautiful defiance shining in her lovely green eyes. All the longing and loneliness of the past few years had crashed down upon him and he had regrettably lashed out at her in frustrated anger.

"She is just a mortal, how is it she can undo me so easily? I have faced off against some of this world's most terrifying beings, powerful immortals, and always I have had impeccable self-control, yet this slip of a human can undo me with a look. She drives me to distraction! As a child she defeated me, conquered me, without even trying to do so or being aware of what she had done." He said incredulously.

The chicken clucked supportively.

He slouched forward on his throne, head resting in his hands and sighed.

Her innocence in all of this was infuriating, for he had no defense against it. After seeing her again, he knew that he would not be content with just looking at her in crystals, he wanted the real thing, he wanted her, and he would not settle for less, not this time. Hopefully she would keep her end of the bargain and call for him soon, he thought with a devious smirk, pleased with himself for having gotten her to agree to that.

He nodded towards his feathered audience, satisfied with having something to look forward to, and leaned back on his throne, throwing a leg up over the armrest and staring out of the window contemplatively. Now he would just have to find ways of keeping occupied, he told himself. Other than the missing goblins yesterday and his thwarted plans for the dwarf, his kingdom had been unusually quiet lately. Perhaps something exciting will happen soon, he thought hopefully. Maybe the brownies would revolt again, or get into another theatrical quarrel with the fairies. Or, maybe he could just send a few goblins to the bog, or kick them out of the window, they would like that-

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a small goblin, wearing what looked like a colander on its head, bursting dramatically into the throne room and running up to him to him with one hand on his head, trying to keep his 'hat' from falling off.

"Your Majesty, your majesty!"

"Yes?" He asked, straightening regally and looking down his nose at the little goblin imperiously, as if he had not just been pouring out his heart to a piece of poultry.

"The hedge maze is on fire, Majesty!"

The room became instant chaos, everywhere goblins in varying states of inebriation started yelling and running around in circles, crashing into each other in the confusion.

"Quiet, you cretins! Pay attention!" The creatures froze in whatever awkward position they had been in and turned to him.

"Get out into the Labyrinth and chase everyone away from the hedge maze." He commanded. Several dozen goblins stared back at him stupidly.

"Well, go!" His subjects finally obeyed, snapping themselves out of their stupor.

'Be careful what you wish for,' He mused as he leapt from the window ledge, transforming and spreading his wings and soaring off in the direction of the blaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: So, it turns out my son is not channeling the Goblin King as I initially suspected (darn). Apparently, "Tra la la" is one of Winnie-the-Pooh's favorite hums. I discovered this last night during bedtime stories, he must have remembered it from me reading it before.
> 
> This leads me to wonder how Jareth would feel about sharing idiosyncrasies with Pooh Bear. Would they become friends? Mortal enemies?
> 
> "Oh bother," says Pooh, "Bother, bother. The heffalumps have eat all my smackerels again."
> 
> The Goblin King looks over at the sticky, guilty-looking goblins trying to hide several empty honey pots. He magnanimously conjures several more pots of honey and sends them over to Pooh, who dives right in, humming a happy little ditty.
> 
> "Silly old bear," The Goblin King says fondly, shaking his head.
> 
> More Author's Notes: So, we find out about the crystal and Jareth's motives. What is Sarah going to do? You would have found out but this chapter ended up way too long, and I had to cut it in half. To all of you lurkers who have been reading this story, I want to thank you for taking the time to do so, I am flattered. I would very much appreciate it if you could review, even if all you have to say is "You're a nutter" or you can't think of anything to say so you just leave a smiley face. The next chapter is all ready to go, how quickly I post it is dependent on how many of you come out of the woodwork and leave a review. (Insert evil laugh here.)


	6. The best defense is a good offense

"Right, so does everyone know what they are supposed to do?" Sarah whispered to her accomplices, smiling as they nodded excitedly in response, waiting expectantly for her to give the go ahead.

Lurk had snuck Sarah and the other three goblins through the city unseen, now they huddled together behind a wall next to a little-used side entrance that the goblins had known about.

The five of them became invisible again as a few drunken stragglers came running out of the castle, screaming about a fire in the hedge maze.

'Good Lord, Hoggle, I did ask for a distraction, but I didn't think you'd go and light the place on fire!' She thought, rather alarmed, and a little impressed. 'Ah, well, this will keep the king busy for a while, we will just get in and get out, and I'll make it up to him later.'

Pushing her thoughts away, she ran up the passage way to the throne room behind her goblins, giddy with excitement over her planned mischief. Oog led them along passage way after passage way, the halls twisting and turning and making Sarah lose all sense of direction. She was glad she had her goblin escort, a person would almost certainly get lost in here without help. She wondered how she had had such an easy time finding her way the last time.

Turning a corner, Sarah held back a shriek as she came face to face with mismatched eyes and wild blonde hair. Overcoming her shock, she let out a sigh of relief as she realized that she was looking at a life-size portrait of the Goblin King, not the real thing. The throne room was visible just down the hall and she could see her goblins beginning to enact the plan, so Sarah took a moment to examine his likeness. It was a remarkable thing, framed in what looked like solid gold, his painted self stared back at her with royal disdain. It was so detailed and life-like that it almost seemed to be breathing. She reached out and ran her fingers across his cheek, halfway expecting a reaction. He was poised standing in front of the throne, holding a scepter with a crystal at the top in one hand and the other hand resting on his hip. One leg was raised above the other, resting on the step and good lord it was a detailed portrait, Sarah thought with a blush. 'Don't look at it!' She thought furiously to herself, fixing her eyes on his boots.

'No, look at it,' her libido argued fiercely. 'This may be our one chance to get a good look without him noticing!' It added with wicked glee.

Sarah allowed her eyes to slowly drift upwards. Her eyes widened as she stared openly. The trousers he was wearing really didn't leave anything to the imagination. Had it always been that 'prominent' she wondered? Maybe it had been enhanced in the portrait, he certainly was arrogant enough to do something like that, she thought wryly. She remembered his pants from her run through the Labyrinth, good lord how could anyone not remember those pants, but memories were unreliable and fifteen year old girls tended to exaggerate things. And it had been rather dark last night, so she couldn't be sure.

Her thoughts drifted to the past, to a ballroom and a breathtaking dance, then to the previous night and how he had run her hair through his fingers, how for a moment his eyes had softened and he had looked at her like she was some priceless treasure.

'He was just trying to unsettle you, manipulate you, just trying to win' she thought somewhat sadly.

'Oh get it together, Williams!' She scolded herself. 'You are here to enact vengeance upon him, not to ogle an artistic rendition of his nether regions. '

Letting out a slow breath and fanning her flaming face, she purposefully walked away to join her minions in the throne room and to help add the finishing touches. A short while later, Sarah and her accomplices reappeared in her bedroom, laughing hysterically and well pleased with themselves. Sarah ordered a pizza and prepared to spend the rest of the night celebrating with her friends.

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It had only taken Jareth about five minutes to put out the fire in the Hedge maze. He had spent another half hour trying to ascertain the cause of the blaze, but with no luck. The damage had been minimal, only a few out of the way hedges had burned down and luckily no creatures had been in the area at the time. He wished he still had the little blue goblin, she could have regrown the plants in a minute, but unfortunately she had been one of the ones Sarah had acquired.

Reappearing in the castle, Jareth strode toward the throne before stopping in his tracks and staring around the room, frozen in shock. At first he thought that he must have somehow entered a parallel world on accident, one that was the nightmare version of his. He stared with open-mouthed bewilderment at the multi-colored pastel masonry, the stones of the walls and floors a sickening quilt work pattern of cotton candy pink, mint green, and baby blue. Flowered vines climbed the walls and lavender and rose bushes were scattered about the room, rooted in the cracks in the floor. His eyes fell on the throne and he groaned in horror, it was a solid fuchsia pink and was surrounded by daffodils and tulips.

Noticing a goblin bound and gagged in one of the nearby rose bushes, Jareth moved over to him briskly, pulling away the vines that gagged him.

"What the devil is going on?" He demanded of the unfortunate creature, hoping desperately that he had fallen through a wormhole, or perhaps hit his head and was hallucinating. Maybe he was even suffering from smoke inhalation, anything would do, really.

"A Lady, a lady with long dark hair, she came while you were out!" he cried out frantically.

'Well crap.' He thought with resignation.

"The missing goblins was here too, and they was with her! They did this, and any of us whos tried to stop 'em got bushed."

Jareth looked more closely at the half dozen or so rose and lavender bushes dotting the room, noticing with bemusement that each contained a captive goblin or two.

"She left a note," the goblin added, nodding towards the throne.

The goblins that had been sober enough to help with the fire were beginning to trickle back into the throne room. They stared and whispered to each other.

Jareth shoved the vines back into his mouth and whirled around to face his pink monstrosity of a throne. Sure enough, there was a scrap of paper on the seat. He strode over to the throne, crushing a few flowers spitefully with his boot, and grabbed the note and unfolded it, narrowed eyes skimming over the words.

............

Dear Goblin King,

Thank you so much for your assistance with my goblins! After you left, I thought it best to run a few tests to ensure that they were in still in tip-top shape. I know you won't mind, considering that their well-being is such a high priority to you. Please enjoy our gift!

Sincerest regards,

Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth.

............

Jareth stared at the piece of paper blankly for a moment, not entirely sure how to react.

"Why, you little….." He grit out between clenched teeth, trailing off when he was unable to come up with a suitable term to describe the monster that was Sarah Williams. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before running his hands through his wild hair in agitation.

"What am I going to do with you, you precious thing?" He muttered, conjuring a crystal. Sarah was in the Aboveground now, cleaning her apartment and laughing joyously with the goblins. "You waltz into my kingdom, into my castle, right under my nose, desecrate my throne room, and then go back Above, and think that will be the end of it?"

He chuckled darkly, a rueful smirk appearing on his handsome face.

"If you wanted to play games, all you had to do was ask," He said softly to the oblivious Sarah in the crystal.

He shrugged his shoulders regally, changing into the same intimidating black regalia he had worn the night before.

"Just remember, love, you started it."

He began to turn, preparing to make a dramatic exit on his way to the Aboveground, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, a look speechless horror appearing on his face for the second time that day.

His chosen regalia was no longer black.

The Goblin King made a strangled sound, something between a yell and a gasp. His once menacing breastplate and the shirt underneath were now the same cotton candy pink that adorned the stonework, his leather pants were a cheerful baby blue. And his boots and cape were a bright lemon-custard yellow.

Panicked, he shrugged his shoulders again, but his next outfit had also been changed to the accursed pastel colors. He shrugged again. The same.

The goblins tried unsuccessfully to stifle their laughter.

He appeared in his chambers and threw open his closet, groaning as he was greeted by a sea of easter-egg hued fabrics.

"Oh you cruel thing. You cruel, clever little thing."

Remembering his clothes from earlier, he shrugged hopefully and sighed in relief as he was once more dressed in a white open-neck shirt, dove grey breeches and black leather boots. Reappearing in the throne room amidst a swirl of angry red glitter, he looked around in resigned despair before freeing his subjects from their flowery prisons. He then conjured several cans of paint, setting them all to work ridding the throne room of plant life and painting over everything. The King watched them work from the window ledge, twirling the scrap of paper in his fingers as he contemplated his next move.

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Later that evening, Sarah called for Sir Didymus, Ludo, and Hoggle, who was only slightly charred, and they spent the rest of the night celebrating the successful adventure with pizza, candy and games. Preoccupied with her party, Sarah forgot all about throwing out the crystal, and no one noticed the owl sitting outside on a nearby tree branch in the dark, watching silently through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Do you see what happens when I try to take it slow and keep things tasteful? I snap and create a literal shrine for 'The Area.' I even framed it in solid gold. Good lord. And I'm not even close to being done, oh no.
> 
> Poor Goblin King. I am being truly terrible to him, aren't I? (evil smirk)Don't worry though, he can take care of himself. He was shown up and emasculated by Sarah and he fully intends to even the score. However, he also wants to win her affections and is determined not to lose his cool again. What to do, what to do? Hint: it involves strutting. And deviosness, plenty of deviosness. And no, he cannot change his clothes back to their original colors, he will have to convince Sarah and her goblins (Darry in particular) to do that.
> 
> Please review! Reviews = more crotch


	7. Something wicked this way comes

Sarah wandered downstairs in her PJs, yawning and following the delicious scent of bacon that drifted from the kitchen.

"I was wondering when you'd be up, it's nearly eleven!" Karen chastised her from where she stood over by the stove.

"It is a Saturday during spring break, Karen." Sarah responded, rolling her eyes.

"I saw that!" Her step-mother snapped, handing her a plate full of breakfast goods. "Keep that up and your eyes will get stuck like that!" She warned.

"Fowwy," Sarah mumbled through a mouthful of bacon.

This time Karen rolled her eyes. "Toby wanted to know if you would take him to the park today. Your father will be out at the golf course and I will be going to a Tupperware party, so I need you to watch him."

"Such a dangerous life you two lead," Sarah said in mock seriousness "Yes, I'll watch Toby, and take him to the park later."

"Hmm. You could have just said yes." Karen said irritably, going off to do some Karen-type something or other.

Sarah meandered into the dining room, noticing with irritation that the crystal (which was currently appearing to others as a snow globe filled with multi-colored penguins wearing Santa hats) was now sitting on the hutch. The day after her impromptu trip to the underground, Sarah had remembered Hoggle's advice and tried to get rid of it. She had thrown it in the garbage with the rest of the party trash from the night before and taken it out to the curb. Upon returning to her apartment, she nearly had a heart attack when she found it sitting on the coffee table, just as it had been before. Sarah had spent the next week coming up with ideas to get rid of it, she had thrown it out of her window, but it vanished before hitting the pavement and promptly reappeared on her bed. She had tried running it over with her car, but it just relocated itself to the car's cup holder. She had put it in a bucket filled with salt and iron shavings that she had extracted from two dozen etch-a-sketches purchased for that purpose and left it in an abandoned field, only to find it sitting in her purse upon returning to her apartment.

She could not get rid of it; it seemed that it was determined not to be more than twenty feet away from her at any given time. It followed her to school, sat on her dresser while she slept, and regularly appeared in her book bag or her car's cup holder when she was out and about. Sarah had become somewhat accustomed to it over the last two weeks, but was careful not to let her guard down, she still had no idea what its true purpose was. Luckily, no one else seemed to notice it, and those that did simply smiled indulgently at her seemingly strange habit of carting around a snow-globe in April.

"Hi Sarah!" yelled Toby, running into the dining room and climbing into his seat, bouncing up and down with excitement. "Are you going to take me to the park today?"

"Toby, is that how you ask?" Chastised his mother, following him into the room and setting a plate in front of him.

"Please?" Toby added impatiently.

"Sure thing, little man." Sarah answered with a grin. "I thought we could go after lunch, once it's warmed up a bit. How does that sound?"

"Great!" He answered, digging into his bacon and eggs. "I can bring my new Ninja Turtle toys and we can have a war and we can play soccer and feed the ducks!" He gushed.

Sarah grinned at him in amusement, then, having finished her own breakfast, snuck back into the kitchen while Karen was busy and loaded her plate with more food, hurrying upstairs to give her goblins something to eat before they started munching on her shoes again.

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Later on Sarah and Toby were sitting on a park bench, resting a bit and enjoying some ice cream. Sarah was wiped out; she had forgotten how much energy six year old boys had. Added to that, the goblins had come along, of course, and though they did a decent job of staying hidden, Toby was an exceptionally perceptive little boy. Maybe it was his prior exposure to magic, or perhaps just his childish belief, but he kept darting his little blonde head around to where the goblins were, squinting his eyes and running off to investigate.

Sarah had pulled out all the stops to keep his attention away from the strange, moving shadows that seemed to flit around the park.

She had run a Labyrinth and faced off with a fairy-tale king to win him back, and she didn't want him to have anything to do with that world ever again.

So they had played tag, they played soccer, they had enacted the great Ninja Turtle Civil War of 1991, with Raphael and Leonardo on one side and Michelangelo and Donatello on the other. Then Sarah had had the brilliant idea of playing hide-and-seek, which ended with her frantically searching for him and calling out his name, only to find him chasing giggling shadows on the far side of the park. It was at this point that the ice-cream truck had conveniently driven by, providing the perfect distraction.

Sarah decided it was time to head back, the sun was getting lower in the sky and she was exhausted. She was going to have words with her goblins later. Toby danced along the path in front of her, jumping about and chattering excitedly about their day, his solo adventure in particular.

"—And then the dark thing went up a tree, and I couldn't get it, but other dark things were in the bushes, and I tried to catch them, but they were just gone, and then I heard you and I hid," he giggled.

"That was very naughty of you, Toby, I was worried sick!" Sarah admonished. If Karen asked, Sarah would tell her that he had been chasing squirrels, she decided.

Toby continued on as if he hadn't heard. "Then I saw the bird, and it let me get really close, then it flew to the next tree, and I followed it, and it kept doing that until you found me!"

"What bird?" Sarah asked curiously.

"That one!" Toby said matter-of-factly, turning and pointing to a barn owl sitting in a tree about thirty feet behind them.

As Sarah turned and locked eyes with the owl, it was as if everything was suddenly in slow motion and the rest of the world became blurry. She tried to control her breathing, feeling as if sound had become muffled and the ground was shifting beneath her feet.

'It can't be. It is just a coincidence, there are plenty of owls around here,' She thought, trying to reason with the twisting fear that was trying to escape from her stomach.

"Sarah? Sarah what's wrong?" Toby asked, tugging on her sleeve and breaking Sarah out of her trance.

"It's nothing Toby, let's just hurry home, It's getting late," She said tersely, grabbing his hand and pulling him briskly down the path.

She kept looking over her shoulder, noting with dismay that the owl continued following them from a distance.

Sarah had been rather pleased with herself after her little prank on the Goblin King, and only slightly worried about how he might seek retribution. It was just a bit of fun, a harmless prank, really, maybe he would just let it go. But when days and then weeks had gone by with no sign of him, Sarah was not at all reassured. Instead her anxiety had grown, she wished he would just show up and yell at her already and get it over with.

She hadn't considered that he might have something sinister in store, until Toby had told her about how the owl had been leading him away. The twisting thing in her stomach clawed its way up to her heart. Did he want to take Toby? 'Over my dead body!' Sarah thought viciously.

She looked back over her shoulder again as they turned onto their street and she noticed with relief that the owl was nowhere to be seen. It did not reappear as they made their way up to the house, and though Sarah spent the next hour keeping watch out of the windows, there was no sign of it. 'Maybe it was just an ordinary owl,' she thought as she sat in her room a short while later with the goblins, 'Or maybe it was him and he was just trying to scare me,' She thought ruefully. 'Ah, well, it's over now.'

Reassured, Sarah went down to help with dinner, leaving her goblins to entertain themselves with TV and snacks.

After dinner was over, Sarah went to get comfortable on the couch with a nice book when she heard Toby scream. Jumping up, she ran upstairs, relieved to see him in his room with Karen trying to console him as he wailed.

"Leo- Leonardo— he's GONE!" Toby wailed, tightly clutching three of his four Ninja Turtles in his little arms.

"Are you sure?" Karen said.

"Yes!" He sobbed. "I've looked everywhere! He's not here!"

"Hey, calm down little man, he probably just got left at the park. We can go back for him tomorrow—" Sarah started.

"No! I want him now! We can't leave him alone all night! Can you go and look for him Sarah, can you please?" He asked in such a sweet voice, with such big, sad eyes, that Sarah just couldn't refuse.

"Well, it is still a bit light out; I guess I could run back and take a look." She said indulgently. Toby continued to sob, with that anguish that is particular to small children who have lost something they deem important.

Karen shot her a grateful look. "Come on sweetie, let's get you downstairs and you can have some milk and cookies while we wait, hmm?" Karen soothed him.

Sarah ran to her room. She flung open the door, startling the goblins that were huddled on the floor in front of her small TV.

"Hey, guys, I am going to run back to the park real quick, but I want you to stay here with Toby."

After the incident with the owl, she wasn't taking any chances.

"We stay with Lady."

"No, I need you to stay and guard Toby, keep him safe."

"We stay with Lady!" They insisted.

"Fine, how about you five stay here," she compromised, pointing to Oog, Lurk, Linnie, Darry and Dell "And you come with me?" She said, pointing at One-eye. He had been the one causing most of the trouble lately anyway; Sarah figured it was probably best to keep him in her sights.

"One-eye guard Lady best!" One-eye exclaimed with gusto.

They all seemed to think about this very seriously for a moment, then nodded their assent.

"Good." She looked at the five staying behind. "I need you guys to stay out of sight for real this time, I don't want Toby to know you are watching him. If he gets so much as a whiff of adventure, he'll be as incorrigible as he was earlier today in the park." She warned, giving them a stern look. "I know you were enjoying your little game of chase earlier, and I know you guys have been bored, but I need to know that Toby will be safe."

At this they all perked up.

"In-cor-a-bul?" Darry spoke slowly, with a look of sudden understanding on his lumpy face.

Linnie squeaked with recognition.

"Like the yellow one? The yellow one on the wheelie board?"

"Err…" Sarah looked at them blankly.

"Lady want us to deport her brother?" Oog asked excitedly.

"What—"

"He be safe in France! Like yellow boy." Darry stated with assurance, nodding at the others, who nodded back in agreement.

Sarah finally noticed what they were watching.

"You mean Bart Simpson." They were watching the episode where Bart's principal said he was 'incorrigible' and recommended deportation.

They all nodded excitedly. Even Dell looked cheerful at the prospect of leaving the country. Sarah didn't think she'd ever seen the goblin do anything but scowl and snarl and cackle.

"No, don't –"

She noticed then that Linnie had gotten into her jewelry and was wearing her grandmother's pearls, while Oog and Darry both sported Marge-blue hair.

'I have got to start monitoring what they watch' She thought with exasperation, closing her eyes for a moment and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"No deportation, no France," She stated firmly, continuing on despite the groans and disappointed faces around her, grabbing the remote and changing the channel to Food Network.

"Look, if anything 'odd' happens, just get him out of sight for a little while. Not out of the country, just hidden somewhere nearby. I'll be back in like 15 minutes, okay?" She finished, grabbing her coat.

"Ok Lady!"

"Yes, Lady."

"As Lady sez."

"Hrrrrmff."

Smiling at the others and ignoring Dell, Sarah and One-eye made their way noiselessly downstairs and opened the front door. Once One-eye was out of sight, Sarah turned and called out, "Karen, I am heading to the park now! It's six-thirty, I should be back in fifteen or twenty minutes!"

Hearing her stepmother's acknowledgement, Sarah and her goblin headed out and down the street towards the park. She sent One-eye ahead to scout, telling him to report back if he saw anything strange.

Neither of them were aware of the muddy brown eyes that watched her hungrily, following her movements as the creature stalked her in the evening shadows. She had first noticed the girl several weeks ago, but had a difficult time locating her after their first botched encounter on the college campus. 'She is a pretty thing,' the monster thought happily. She had first chosen another pretty girl who had been walking alone along the shore one night, had devoured her life energy and taken her form before leaving the sea to explore the land-world. She was able to stay away from the sea for weeks at a time in this new form, but this dark-haired girl had enough magical energy for her to be able to leave the sea for good.

She drew closer, the girl was now alone in the park, now was the moment to strike. 'The things I could accomplish with the magic this girl has tied to her!" The creature thought greedily. And if she had been right about the flavor of this particular magic, she might even be able to leave this dismal world for a better one, one with enough tasty magical beings for her to thrive, not just survive.

She made to pounce, only to feel talons abruptly sink into her shoulder. She hissed and whirled around, beating the owl back, but it continued its assault, beating about her head with its wings and slashing her arms with its sharp talons. Finally, she was forced to turn and flee. 'So the girl has protection,' She mused furiously from a distance. 'Never mind, next time I won't come alone.'

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Sarah made her way quickly over the bridge in the park, finding Leonardo the Ninja Turtle lying in the grass by the pond. As she picked him up, she felt something shift in the air, something familiar yet strange. She shivered and looked around cautiously, the last time she had felt that kind of energy was when the Goblin King had been in her apartment. Was he here now? With her luck (and recent life choices), it was more than likely.

"One-eye?" She called half-heartedly. If any of her goblins were brave enough to stand by her in spite of the Goblin King, it would be him.

There was no answer, and the park suddenly seemed eerily quiet. She looked down at the little action figure. "Looks like it's just you and me, then. You're not afraid of a silly old Goblin King, are you?" Leonardo's plastic face sneered at her bravely. Sarah sighed, then put him in her pocket. She made her way stealthily back across the park, keeping her eyes peeled.

She turned a corner on the trail and finally saw him, about twenty feet ahead, just off the path.

He leaned back against a tree, one leg bent with his foot resting on the bark, arms folded across his chest and his pensive gaze fixed on something in the distance. The sun had not quite fully set and a few last red-gold rays shone through the branches, setting his wild hair aglow like a halo in the fading light. Sarah paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to steel herself. Even though he had not looked her way yet, she somehow knew that he was aware of her. 'Come on now, you're a big girl, play it cool. Or at least pretend to play it cool. He has no power…' She bit the inside of her cheek and walked calmly past him.

At least she tried to, until a gloved hand reached out and seized her arm. She forced herself to remain calm, to not give him the satisfaction of seeing her jump or feeling her shake. She mentally applauded herself for her self-control as she turned to meet his eyes confidently, without faltering.

"Hello, Sarah." His feral gaze belied his calm voice. She shivered internally, then held up her chin defiantly and decided she'd best strike first.

Looking him up and down with theatrical disdain, she took in his scuffed boots, worn grey leggings, and dingy, wrinkled, white shirt. She forced herself not to linger on the leggings, nevertheless noticing with a slight tingle that he was very much in proportion with his portrait.

"Not so intimidating now, are you, Goblin King?" She mocked him smugly.

Quicker than lightning, Jareth moved forward, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Gahhhh! Put me down! Goblin King, if you don't put me down this instant—" She tried for a stern voice.

"Do call me Jareth, love, and hold still, I'd hate to drop you." He said nonchalantly, hauling her off down the path as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do.

'Well shit, that didn't go as planned.' She thought, panicking slightly, as she continued to struggle against him, pounding on his back with her fists.

"You can't have Toby! Nothing you say or do will make me give him up!" She yelled frantically.

"What would I want with Toby? That game is over, this one is not." He stated matter-of-factly.

"But, in the park—"

"I assure you, I have no interest in him. This new game is between you and me."

She could practically hear the smirk.

"Put me down or I'll scream!"

"I assure you darling, no one will hear you," He said in a wicked voice.

'Crap, crap, crapity crap,' She thought.

"Where are you taking me?!" Sarah was beginning to feel more than a little afraid.

For a long minute he did not answer, but continued on with a relaxed but efficient stride, holding her tightly over his shoulder. He was inhumanly strong; Sarah found that no matter how hard she struggled, she made no progress in getting free, though he seemed to hold her effortlessly. She began to despair, breathing deeply to try and calm herself, this was not happening, this was not happening, and then—

"To your home, of course." He finally answered her, with an innocent tone that would have been more believable coming from the Big Bad Wolf.

"You'll never— what?" Sarah asked, completely caught off guard.

"Your house, precious thing," He set her down and smirked at her mischievously. She looked around and realized that she was indeed on her parent's front porch.

"Why, what did you think I meant to do with you?" He said in a sultry voice, giving her a knowing look.

Sarah blushed.

Taking in the flushed and breathless girl before him, Jareth chuckled. Oh, but she was such fun to tease. Before Sarah could think of anything to say, the Goblin King moved forward, backing her up against the door and placing his hands on either side of her body, caging her in. He leaned in and she stiffened as she felt his hot breath on the sensitive skin of her neck, just below her ear.

"Shall I play the villain again, Sarah? Is that what you desire of me?"

Sarah suddenly felt tingly from head to toe, and found that her brain had developed an unforeseen short, and was now currently unable to process anything more complicated than breathing and making undignified noises. Thankfully she managed to refrain from the latter.

Jareth pulled back slightly, so that their lips were mere inches apart, and ran a strand of her hair through his fingers. Part of her vaguely registered that she should probably push him away now, that this was dangerous, but the rest of her couldn't for the life of her figure out why. 'He smells like the ocean, like the forest after the first rain of the season, like things wild and wonderful.' She inhaled deeply.

His other hand came down to rest gently on her waist and his eyes flicked down to her lips. She could feel the heat of his hand branding her through her thin blue shirt. She began to lean unconsciously closer.

Her heart was pounding and her mouth had gone dry.

"Because if it is," He continued seductively, "You should know that a villain needs a proper wardrobe."

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her head. "What?" She asked him stupidly, pulling back and blinking.

He smirked at her, laughter shining in his eyes.

"I want you to change my clothes back, precious. That is the reason I came here, after all." He said in a matter of fact tone.

Sarah was furious, mostly with herself. "And what makes you think I would do that? You lied to me about the crystal—"

"No, I did not lie, you just didn't listen properly." He said huffily. The amused expression was gone.

"You know what I mean! You deliberately misled me. Take it back!" She pulled the crystal from her coat pocket (where it had mysteriously appeared as soon as she had left the house) and thrust it towards him angrily.

"We made a deal. What's said is said. And besides, do remember that I promised that no harm would come to you as part of that deal." He said in a soft, lethal voice.

"Are you threatening me?" Sarah asked indignantly.

"Are you renegading on our deal? It has been three Aboveground weeks, and you have not called me once."

Sarah thought fast. "I did you one better, I came to visit you, but you weren't home." She said primly.

He looked at her incredulously. "Came to visit me, Sarah?" His voice had become somewhat more high-pitched than usual. "Is that what you call it?" He moved his hands back up to either side of her, trapping her again. "I have been very generous in letting you go this long without consequences; do not try your luck any further," He grit out. "I am going to escort you and your goblins to the Underground, where you will undo the damage you have inflicted on my personal belongings." He said in a strong, commanding voice, mismatched blue eyes boring intensely into hers, daring her to defy him.

'Fat chance,' Sarah thought. How to get him to leave? And where was One-eye?

Sarah stood as tall as she could. "I am not going anywhere with you Goblin King." She said calmly. "Perhaps your new look will help you remember not to be such a prat."

He smirked.

"Sarah, Sarah, you are no match for me," Jareth replied in a silky, dangerous voice, moving towards her neck again.

'Right, time to bring out the big guns,' Sarah thought, swallowing her panic (and something else that she was not yet ready to admit).

"You have no power over me!" she yelled desperately.

He flinched and looked away, just for a moment, and Sarah was sure she had imagined the pained look on his face. Back to being his arrogant and unflappable self in the blink of an eye, he simply smirked at her and leaned close again.

"Do remember that I am the Goblin King, dear, and as a result I have a good number of goblins under my command. Or did you think only the ones in your possession were magical?"

Sarah had not thought of that.

"I know how much you value fairness, so what do you say we play by your rules, hmmm?" He said, taking a few steps back from her. "I have a goblin that can cause a person to speak only in rhyme, a goblin that can cause slugs and snails to appear by the bucketful; perhaps I shall send them to 'visit' you? Ooo, or perhaps the one that causes fingernails and toenails to grow at an alarming rate—" He pondered gleefully.

Sarah was feeling slightly nauseous now. No prank was worth that.

"Alright, alright, enough! So, what, I come and fix your clothes and you won't send your minions after me?" Sarah asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest and looking surreptitiously at the bushes. Where the bloody hell had that goblin of hers gotten to? And why hadn't her Dad and Karen heard the ruckus they were making? In fact, she noticed now, that everything around them seemed to be strangely still, as if the world was holding its breath. She heard none of the usual suburban noise; saw no movement from anything in their surroundings.

"That's right. I ask for so little…" He trailed off, giving her a strange little half-smile.

They were both silent for a moment, remembering the last time he had said those words. He backed away gracefully and held out his hand, beckoning her to take it and follow him.

Sarah pushed the memories of white-feathered cloaks and empty promises from her mind.

"I'm not going with you, Goblin King."

"Sarah—" He began irritably.

"—I'll go to the Underground and fix your stuff. But I'll go my own way." She interrupted him, looking suspiciously at his outstretched hand. She didn't know if being transported by him counted as placing herself under his power or not, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Your way?" He asked curiously, letting his hand fall to his side empty. "The same way you came last time?" He looked very interested.

"Yes. And I want you to promise that if I do this, your goblins will leave me alone, and that I will not be stopped from returning here afterwards, and that you will leave Toby alone." She said.

"Very well. You have my permission to come and go from the Labyrinth as you please, my goblins with not lay a claw on you, and Toby is safe. Conditionally, I require your promise that you will never again alter my castle or my wardrobe in any way without my express permission."

"Fine." She said touchily.

"Then we have an agreement."

Jareth reached for her hand, holding her gaze as he raised it to his lips, brushing a soft kiss against her knuckles. And then he disappeared.

For a moment Sarah just stood there, staring at the place where he had been. 'Perhaps I've imagined this whole thing,' she thought, bemused, standing there with a vacant expression and rubbing her hand distractedly. The tingly, warm feeling on the back of her hand and the silver glitter floating softly down onto the porch said otherwise. Sarah took a deep, calming breath, letting it out slowly as she opened the front door and stepped into the house.

"I thought you were going back to the park?" Karen asked, poking her head into the hallway from the kitchen, holding the milk jug. "Did you forget something?"

"What? I just—" Sarah stopped suddenly upon noticing that the wall clock read six thirty-four. 'Did he reorder time? I must have been gone for at least 20 minutes. Well that explains why One-eye wasn't around, I guess, maybe he stopped time and froze him. How am I going to explain—' Sarah decided to improvise.

"Silly me, looks like he was in my pocket the whole time." She said apologetically, drawing the toy from her coat pocket and handing it to her step-mother.

"Oh, well, okay then." Karen replied, seeming to accept this without suspicion. "Why do you look so flushed, you were only out for a few minutes? And for heaven's sake, why do you insist on carrying around that garish snow globe everywhere?" She finished irritably, glaring with disapproval at the crystal that Sarah still held in her hand.

"Oh, you know me," Sarah drawled sarcastically, turning away to hide her blush. "Always trying to spread holiday cheer."

With that, she headed for the stairs, taking them two at time, ignoring Karen's objections "But it's April! Really, if you want to get a nice young man to notice you, you should stop doing such strange things!" Karen shook her head, speaking more to herself than to her step-daughter, who was already at her bedroom door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> (Author, snapping her fingers:)
> 
> But the crystal came back
> 
> It wouldn't stay away
> 
> It was sitting on the table
> 
> The very next day!
> 
> Sorry, I couldn't resist. For those of you concerned for my sanity, that was a parody of the song 'The Cat Came Back'.
> 
> ...
> 
> Did you notice the loophole in Sarah's promise? Hehehe. Can you guess what kind of creature my monster is? Feeds off life-energy, shape-changer that can take the form of her victims, lives in water (usually Scottish lochs, I changed it to the sea for my own nefarious purposes). Anyone?
> 
> Please review.


	8. You Catch More Flies with Honey

Sarah paused just outside her bedroom door and took another deep, steadying breath. She had once again been manipulated by the Goblin King. She couldn't deny that he was, well, 'magnetic' she thought ruefully, but she couldn't let herself be swept away like that again. 'It's all just a game to him, so play hard or go home.' She thought mercilessly to herself. 'You know some of his plays now, so next time be ready for them.'

Nodding decisively, she turned the knob and walked into her room, only to freeze in shock.

The King of the goblins lay sprawled on his back across her bed, reclining leisurely against her pillows, and reading the Cosmopolitan that Karen had left for her on the nightstand. Unable to tear her eyes away or indeed even to move or speak, Sarah just stood there and tried frantically to suppress every forbidden fantasy that had suddenly sprung up to the forefront of her mind.

"Sarah, I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at your choice of reading material," Jareth said teasingly without looking up. "Some of these ideas are really quite ingenious."

Sarah managed a slight squeaking noise.

"Of course this is nothing compared to what I could teach you," He purred darkly, catching her eyes for a moment and smirking before turning back to the magazine and subtly resettling himself into an even more enticing position.

'Dammit, he's doing it again!' Sarah mentally yelled at herself, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his face. She noticed that though his gaze was on the page, his eyes were motionless and his face carefully blank. 'He's waiting to see what I'm going to do…' She realized. Rallying, she pulled herself out of her near-comatose state and turned deliberately to shut the door, fighting the urge to flee. Or maybe turn and pounce on him.

She took another deep breath. "Actually, that's my step-mothers, I don't read it." She was not going to let him get to her again. She noticed Oog's big yellow eyes peering out at her from the cabinet near the top of stairs. Jareth had promised to leave Toby alone, but it was nice to know that he was protected nonetheless. She nodded to him discretely and shut the door with a click.

"Such a pity." He said in exaggerated disappointment, putting down the magazine. Sarah turned back to face him. He propped himself up on one arm, the other arm resting on his bent right leg, and the left leg dangling partially off the bed so that his 'features' were displayed to their best advantage.

"Get your boots off the quilt." Sarah commanded, crossing her arms and giving him an unimpressed look. She mentally applauded herself.

He gave her a pointy grin in return and swung his long legs off the bed, standing up and making his way over to her like a lion moving in for the kill. Sarah quickly sidestepped him and walked over to the window.

"Do I even want to know what you're doing in my room?" Sarah asked in a casual voice, as if finding a fairy tale king in one's bed was no big deal, nope, not the least bit noteworthy at all.

He stayed standing between the door and the bed, seemingly respecting the distance she had put between them. He gave her a calculating stare, his demeanor shifting to become polite and business-like.

"I wish to observe your method of transport." He said nonchalantly. Perhaps provocation wasn't the best idea right now; he did need her to develop some trust in him, especially after the close call in the park today. A different approach would be wise, he thought. Not as much fun, but wise. It would also make it easier to get her back for his wardrobe and throne room. He made a special effort to withhold a smirk and to keep his face carefully blank.

Sarah studied him warily for a moment before turning her gaze back to the window. He seemed very interested in this, she wondered why.

"Speaking of the goblins, where are they?" He asked politely.

Sarah jumped as, right on cue, a loud, brown, grotesque, eye-patch wearing face pressed itself against the window and leered at her.

"Hi Lady! I's found you! You—ahhhhh!" He suddenly caught sight of the King in Sarah's room and lost his grip, falling off the window ledge and down to the ground below.

Sarah hurriedly opened the window and leaned out, calling down, "Are you all right?"

One-eye looked up at her from where he lay flat on his back on the lawn and waved happily, still wearing his disturbing smile.

"Of course he is; goblins are practically indestructible." The King said haughtily.

Sure enough, One-eye jumped up and, readjusting his eye-patch, and started scaling the wall to her bedroom window once again. Sarah moved over to let him in.

"Well, let's get this over with." Sarah said brusquely. "Goblins of mine, come here right now."

She moved stiffly past the Goblin King, who was being suspiciously quiet, and let the other five goblins into her room, shutting the door quietly behind them. "I want you to take me to the Labyrinth again, please." Her goblins looked uncertainly back and forth between her and the King. "Only for a little while, then I'll be coming back here again." She watched Jareth carefully out of the corner of her eye as she said this, but he showed no signs of hidden villainous intent, so she continued on.

"You two stay behind." She said decisively, pointing to Oog and Linnie. They were the smarter ones of the bunch, and she wanted both Toby and her way back kept in somewhat competent hands. Her goblins gave murmurs of compliance, though Sarah noted that they were much more subdued than usual while in the presence of the Goblin King. They gathered around her and started their strange little dance, oozing nervous excitement, pulling her towards the corner of the room where the shadows stretched and seemed to be darker and deeper, as if they were almost alive. This time Sarah didn't close her eyes, aware of the man following close behind her. She soon regretted not doing so.

The other two times her goblins had transported her along the path, she had been nearly overwhelmed by the contradicting sensations. She had felt weightless and incredibly heavy, as if she was frozen and speeding ahead, imploding and exploding, all at the same time. She felt the same this time as well, but now she also saw it, and it was terrible. She saw colors that she didn't know existed, swirling in patterns that made no sense, pressing in on her from all sides as she began to spin faster and faster. It was madness, malicious chaos; she felt it tearing at her mind, at her sanity, at the very fibers that held her together. She felt a violent darkness fill her lungs with ice as she opened her mouth in a soundless scream.

And then suddenly it was all dulled and she felt somewhat warmer, as if she was seeing the storm through a window rather than being out in the midst of it. She barely registered a hand holding hers before she felt firm ground beneath her feet once more and fell into unconsciousness.

When Sarah came to, she felt two things. First was that someone was holding her hand. Second was mortification that she had actually fainted. Opening her eyes, she saw that the Goblin King was crouched beside her as she lay on the ground. She thought she saw concern in his eyes as they searched hers before his face suddenly became a careful mask. As her head stopped spinning, she noticed that he was holding her hand with both of his, without his gloves, and that a tingling warmth was flowing into her from where their skin touched.

"I presume from your confused expression that you did not lose consciousness on your previous trips?" He inquired.

"No, it was very…... unpleasant, but that—" She trailed off, not knowing how nor wanting to describe what she had seen.

"Last time the goblins had me close my eyes." She continued somewhat sheepishly, raising herself into a sitting position with her free hand.

"And they were right to. Do you know what that was?" He asked her patiently.

She shook her head slowly, wondering at his odd behavior. He was being positively nice.

He licked his lips and furrowed his brow. "You traveled upon a magical thread between worlds, through the void of time and space. You might know it in your world as a wormhole. Such paths are not uncommon, though they are usually temporary. I create my own whenever I go Above, as do the goblins when they are wished for. Enduring paths such as the one you used, however, are extremely rare." He looked somewhat unsettled. "You are very lucky. Few mortals, few beings, could look into the void and come away with their sanity intact." There it was again, that look of concern, flashing across his face so quickly that she might have imagined it.

Feeling another surge of prickly warmth flowing up her arm from their joined hands, she realized that she felt much better than she had after her two previous travels, and suspected that he was responsible for it. Remembering the hand she had felt grasping hers on the path, she asked him; "You came after me, didn't you? You made it…. bearable."

He said nothing, his face blank. He stood gracefully, pulling her to her feet and giving her a moment to find her balance before releasing her hand and turning away to gaze into the forest where her goblins were getting into mischief again.

Taking the opportunity to look around, Sarah noticed that the goblins had once again brought her to the same spot in the forest, the spot where she had eaten the peach. She glanced nervously at the Goblin King, hoping that he didn't realize. He gazed unseeing into the forest, the first rays of sunrise causing his pale features to glow.

"I suppose you'll want to walk to the castle rather than allow me to transport you?" He asked stiffly, gaze still fixed on the forest.

For a moment she reconsidered, he had helped her, even if he didn't want to admit it, and he was being rather civil. Then she remembered the crystal-of-dubious-purpose that was still resting heavily in her coat pocket, and how not 15 minutes ago he had been threatening her and dripping sexy all over her porch. He was not to be trusted.

"Yeah, I think that would be best." She said in an equally stiff voice.

"Well then, perhaps we should be off." He politely inclined his head toward her and then gestured towards the path, holding out an arm for her to take.

'He doesn't mean to walk with us the whole way, does he?' She thought in mild panic. She was unsettled by the similarities between this Jareth and the charming king from her ballroom dream, especially given their current location. But she didn't want to repay his kindness with rudeness, no matter his motivation, so she tentatively took his proffered arm and they began to make their way along the narrow, twisted forest path, the goblins following behind at a distance.

After a while of walking in awkward silence, Sarah decided to break the ice.

"Why didn't you just get new clothes?" She was rather surprised at his scruffy attire; it seemed so out of character for him. She had assumed he would just get new clothes or have his re-dyed or something. Perhaps he didn't want anyone to know what had happened. She hoped he hadn't been wearing the same thing for the last three weeks.

As if reading her thoughts, he answered, "Time does not always travel in tandem between our worlds, whereas several weeks have passed in your world, here it has only been two days. I have been too busy with recent events to worry about it. Besides, I am rather fond of the clothes I already have, as they were before your alterations, anyway."

"Oh." She answered lamely.

"There has been quite a bit of excitement in the Labyrinth these last few days. Did your friends tell you about the fire in the hedge maze?" He asked innocently.

Sarah tried to appear surprised. "Oh! Is everyone all right?" She knew very well what had happened, but hoped for her sake that he didn't.

"Yes, no one was hurt. It was in a rather secluded and abandoned part of the maze. I have no idea how it started. Rather a strange coincidence that it coincided with your 'visit', don't you think?" He asked her with a tone of false curiosity, smug amusement shining in his eyes at her obvious discomfort.

Sarah flushed. "Very strange indeed. What is that?" She asked hurriedly, pointing at a green vine with large, trumpet-shaped, metallic gold flowers that was twined up and around a large tree just off the left side of the path.

Jareth rolled his eyes and smirked at her obvious attempt to change the subject. "A rosta vine. The flowers play a soft flute-like melody when disturbed. It grows only in the Labyrinth, nowhere else."

"That's actually really neat," Sarah smiled, reaching out and brushing the fingers of her free hand against a glittering bloom. Sure enough, a few sweet tones came forth from the flower.

Jareth smiled at her. "And that one over there is its cousin, only instead of music it gives off a special scent." He said as they walked on, gesturing over to a vine with similar trumpet-shaped flowers, only these were much smaller and grew in purple bunches.

Sarah breathed deeply and moved towards the flowers, letting go of Jareth's arm. She felt irresistibly drawn towards them, and she moved forward thoughtlessly, inhaling their seductive scent. Jareth watched her closely. "What do you think of it, Sarah?"

"It smells like the woods after the rain, like an ocean breeze, like—" She stopped suddenly, snapped out of her trance and blushing as she realized what, or rather whom the flowers reminded her of, and looked back at Jareth sharply with a questioning gaze. 'I hope he doesn't know what he smells like.' She thought with some embarrassment.

His smug eyes and pointy grin assured her that he did. "They smell like whatever a person desires most. They are meant to lure people off the path." He motioned to the ground directly in front of her. "There is a hidden hole right under them that leads to the bog."

She jumped back and stepped carefully back onto the path, avoiding his gaze and clearing her throat nervously, crossing her arms over chest. "How about that bird, there?" She asked, focusing intently on a small bright orange bird hopping about on the ground on the other side of the path, still blushing furiously and praying that the he wouldn't say anything more about the flowers. Maybe he would think she just really loved nature.

Jareth looked at her with fond amusement. Most women would try their best to seduce him, whereas Sarah adamantly denied even simple attraction. The plants were more forthcoming than her. He found it charming and endearing. He was also pleased that she was showing such an interest in his land; even it was only partially sincere. He much preferred her asking questions about his kingdom to her lighting it on fire.

"It is a willow wren. They have minor telepathic abilities." He held out his arm and Sarah watched curiously as the little bird flew to him and landed on his forearm, tilting its head and looking at him silently. "With time and practice, they can be used to find things. One pictures what they are looking for and the wren will go and locate it." His eyes darted to hers, a half-smile forming on his face. "Come here," He spoke quietly, eyes flicking back to the bird. Sarah inched towards him, holding her breath as he grasped her forearm and raised it up to be parallel with his. The little bird twittered as it hopped over to her, hopping back and forth until it stopped at her wrist, turning to tilt its head and meet her eyes. Sarah gasped as pictures flashed through her mind; she saw two suns rising over sharp-looking purple mountains, a breathtaking birds-eye view of the Labyrinth, treetops that were covered with vibrant red flowers and alive with various birds, strange insects scurrying along rich soil, and then finally the Goblin King and herself, larger than life. She smiled at the little bird in wonder, and sighed as it flew back into the bushes.

"That was amazing!" She said in a hushed voice."I didn't realize that it could be so beautiful here." She suddenly remembered who she was talking to and looked at Jareth somewhat shyly, backing away a little so that they weren't so close.

But he just smiled at her gently, his strange eyes holding her gaze. "Perhaps you just haven't been looking for it. Often we only see what we expect to, and because of that end up missing out on something extraordinary." She must have been mistaken, but his eyes seemed a little wistful.

Sarah felt a tightness in her chest and struggled to make sense of the conflicting emotions she felt. She broke his gaze and looked down at her feet, and when she looked back up his mask was back in place.

"Shall we continue, then?" He asked. Sarah took his proffered arm and continued down the forest path at his side. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, feeling rather unsettled. Though she had never really spent all that much time with the Goblin King, she had thought she had an idea of who he was and what to expect from him. She had steeled herself to resist his seductive allure, to stand firm against his mercurial moods. She found herself wholly unprepared to deal with this strange, almost chivalrous behavior. What was even more bewildering was that it seemed to be truly genuine; he wore this composed, charming demeanor as naturally as he did his 'Intimidating King' persona. She wondered which was the real him. Perhaps both were, people were rarely black and white, after all.

Wrapped up in her thoughts as she was, Sarah failed to notice that they were headed the wrong way, and that her goblins were nowhere in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> Oh, I am having fun with this. Sarah is a quick learner, but Jareth is almost always two steps ahead. 'Cause he's like 450 years old (according to me). So what is our glittery monarch up to? You shall see, oh yes, you shall.
> 
> The purple flowers were based off of the 'Amortentia' love potion in Harry Potter, which if memory serves, was purple and smelled like whatever attracted you. The other flower and the bird were spawned off my rabid imagination.
> 
> Review or Sarah will end up with Gollum from Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit!
> 
> ooo
> 
> "My Precioussssss….." Gollum stared adoringly at Sarah.
> 
> "Um, Jareth? Jareth, where are you!" Sarah backed away, looking frantically for a way out of the room and calling for her missing king.
> 
> "What's wrong with itssss?" Gollum hissed in concern, pulling out a dead fish. "Preciousssss wants a fishy? So juicy, juicy sweet!" He gave her a deranged smile and bit off its head, offering Sarah the rest with a hopeful look.
> 
> Sarah took pity on the ugly little creature. "Look, little guy, I think I have somehow ended up in the wrong fandom. Have you seen the Goblin King? He'll be wondering where I am."
> 
> Gollum screeched in terror and ran away, flinging the decapitated fish at Sarah before he went.
> 
> ooo
> 
> Anyone else traumatized by the movie version of Tolkien's Goblin King? Bleurghhh...


	9. Love Thy Enemies

The little orange bird flitted along the branches, keeping the two people in its sights. It felt drawn to the new person, the female one, whom it had not seen before today. The little bird did not think in words, but it saw the girl as 'Queen' and felt a desire to serve her. The little willow wren watched her closely, hoping to be called again, but the Queen had eyes only for the King. Growing bored, the little bird lost interest and flew off to find its breakfast.

 

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The King was buzzing with well-concealed excitement; SHE was on his arm, of her own volition, in his land, following his lead seemingly without question. If he had been a more sedate and sensible man, he would have abandoned his mischief and led her to the castle without any further guile, continuing with the gentlemanly behavior that seemed to have such a pleasant effect on her. But he was not, and so they continued on, both putting a great deal of effort into appearing not to be paying too much attention to the other.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sarah was having an internal battle, with her heart on one side and her head on the other. Was Jareth her enemy or something else? Should she apologize? No, of course not, the crystal of dubious purpose was proof that he was deserving of her scorn and nothing else. Right? The deviant flowers had clearly been wrong. But he had helped her, possibly saved her, why was he being so nice? Should she object to such amicable behavior, when it could possibly be sincere? And since when did she think of him as Jareth instead of 'Goblin King'? Ugggh.

The sun had fully risen and the Labyrinth creatures had begun to move about. Sarah was brought out of her thoughts when another little orange willow wren came bursting out of the foliage and flew about their heads, twittering urgently. Jareth pulled away from her and held out his forearm for the bird to land on. He made eye contact with it and they were both still for a moment, then he nodded and the bird flew off once again.

Jareth turned towards her. "I am afraid there is some urgent business I must attend to immediately. I will have to leave you for a moment; the garbage city is just down the path, I should be able to rejoin you there. You will of course be able to find your way?"

She nodded. "Is everything all right?"

He smiled. "Yes, just a small matter that should be resolved momentarily. You shouldn't encounter any obstacles, but just in case, I have a trick to teach you."

"A trick?" She asked skeptically. "A trick for what?"

"For dealing with the fireys, should you encounter them." He answered simply, reaching for her arms. Sarah schooled her features to appear unaffected as she felt his bare hands on her skin again. His hands were warm and strong, and her nerve endings buzzed with electricity where he held her. She suddenly regretted taking off her coat and tying it around her waist, leaving her arms bare. He raised her arms straight up above her head and gave her a serious look. "Now stand on one leg, wiggle your fingers, and stick out your tongue."

Sarah pulled away from him and huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Come on, really? I am not going to let you make a fool out of me, Goblin King."

"I am trying to teach you something useful, and do call me Jareth." He said tersely, mirroring her obstinate pose. "I swear on my kingdom, do as I say and the fireys will not touch you." He added imploringly.

She hesitated. That was quite an oath. "Okay. I'll see you in the garbage city."

He gave her a slight bow and a smirk and did a strange little twist, shrinking and changing until the Goblin King was gone and an owl hovered in his place, flapping its wings and lifting up and soaring over the treetops.

"Show off." She muttered as she watched him fly away. "Right, well, this is turning out to be one of the weirdest days of my life. Definitely in the top five." Sarah shook her head and set off quickly down the path, determined to avoid any more trouble if she possibly could. Looking around for a moment, she noticed with alarm that her goblins were nowhere to be seen.

"Darry? Lurk? One-eye, Dell? Where are you guys?" She called. She saw nothing, but heard a few twigs being broken in the thick undergrowth around her. She had thought they'd been with her the whole time, where could they have gone?

"Goblins of mine, come here right now!" She whispered urgently. No goblins came; instead Sarah saw a flash of red and heard a maniacal laugh from somewhere behind her.

Sarah needed no further motivation. She took off running down the path, not stopping to look behind her. She tore through the forest, dodging branches and leaping over roots, but she had not been fast enough to escape their notice.

"Hey, it's you!" A high pitched voice called from behind her.

"The Lady that threw our heads!" Another called, closer than the first.

Oh crap. They remembered.

"Come back Lady, we're not done with our game, not till we get to throw your head!" The first yelled as the others laughed and howled with crazed glee, they were almost on her heels now.

"Leave me alone!" Sarah yelled frantically. She looked back for a second and tripped over a root, crashing to the ground and skinning her hands on the rocky soil. She felt long fingers wrap around one arm; she swung her fist up wildly and felt it connect with a feathery snout.

"Hey, what you do that for?" The firey's head admonished her as it flew away from its owner's body. Sarah dragged herself to her feet and looked around and realized she was surrounded. Taking their heads and throwing them wouldn't work this time, before there had only been a handful, now there were at least twenty fireys circling her, laughing, and dancing about like wild things. Sarah realized that she had no choice now, and muttered "Goblin King, if this doesn't work, I'll come back to haunt you," before she begrudgingly lifted her arms above her head, stood on one foot, wiggled her fingers, and stuck out her tongue.

The effect was immediate. All the fireys stopped their crazy dance and stared at her in shock. The ones that had been closest gave her a look of complete disgust, gagging until their tongues literally fell out of their mouths. Others pulled out their eyes and threw them into the bushes, and then ran off screaming. Sarah took advantage of this and made a break for it, but the fireys didn't seem to want anything to do with her now. They parted and let her through their ranks, still gaping and giving her scandalized looks. She was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, and so she took off down the path again, making for the garbage city at a sprint and calling out for her goblins.

She really should have learned the first time, but she couldn't resist a glance over her shoulder to see if any of the fireys were pursuing her. She was happy to see that none of them were, and began to wonder at the strangeness of it all, when she collided with something large and solid. She went crashing to the ground again, landing on top of something warm and alive. Looking up, she groaned in embarrassment as she looked into the surprised but undeniably pleased face of the Goblin King.

"If I'd known you were this eager for my company, precious, I'd have called on you long before now." He murmured in a velvety voice, raising a teasing eyebrow and lightly resting his hands on her waist as he peered up at her, eyes twinkling.

She scrambled off him quickly, face redder than a strawberry. "The fireys were chasing me." She explained hastily.

"Ah, that would explain your haste," He conceded generously, standing up and looking back the way she had come. "I don't see anything chasing you now, could it be that you took my advice?" He was trying and failing to hide a smug smile.

She opted for a change of subject. "My goblins, they're missing. They were with us, I swear they were. They don't come when I call, they're just gone-"

"Calm down, Sarah." He conjured a crystal and held it out to her.

"What's that for?" She asked suspiciously, silently pleased that he had dropped the topic of the fierys.

"For finding the goblins, of course," He answered simply. "Just look into it and focus on them, and their location will be revealed."

She continued to look at him skeptically.

Jareth gave her an exasperated sigh. "It won't bite you precious, now do you want to find them or not?"

Sarah reluctantly leaned forward and peered into the crystal in his hand. Focusing intently, she didn't notice Jareth subtly move to her side.

"They are in an oubliette," He whispered right next to her ear.

Sarah kept herself from jumping and repressed a shiver at the feel of his breath on her ear. "Don't do that!" She said, glancing at him in time to see a mischievous smirk. "How did they get in there?"

Jareth didn't answer her. "I'll send someone to get them out." He snapped his fingers and a goblin whose face strongly resembled a cabbage appeared before him and bowed low.

"You majesty called?" He rasped. If cabbages could talk, that is what they might sound like, Sarah thought with some amusement.

"There are four goblins stuck in an oubliette under the fiery forest. Get them out and lead them directly to the castle." He commanded.

The goblin nodded and disappeared with a pop. The Goblin King turned to Sarah. "There, see? Nothing to fret about. They will be waiting for us when we get there." He gave her his most charming smile and grabbed her arm, pulling her down the hill and into the garbage city.

Sarah felt that this was all rather suspect, but it just didn't feel right to return his kindness with unpleasantness just for the sake of being defiant, and she had to admit she was rather enjoying this less serious version of the Goblin King. She was somewhat surprised to see him as a real person, rather than some two dimensional villain that just stole babies and juggled crystals while wearing scandalously tight pants.

"Did your 'urgent business' turn out all right?" Sarah asked, somewhat amused at how happy he was acting.

"Better than I could have hoped for. It was almost a disaster, but the parties involved came to an understanding." He replied with an enigmatic smirk, eyes shining with laughter.

"Alright then." Sarah said when he didn't provide any more details, just stayed silent and grinned as if he was party to some great joke that no one else knew of.

"There seems to be a lot more wildlife in the forest than there was before." She commented to fill the uncomfortable silence.

Jareth gave her a little half smile, pulling away from whatever amusing thoughts he had been wrapped up in. "The Labyrinth comes alive during the Willow Moon, it is our springtime."

He hestitated. "When you ran, it was late autumn, and most of the Labyrinth was sleeping." He looked like he wanted to say more, but remained silent. He walked her up to an old armoire on the edge of the garbage city and opened the door, gesturing for her to go first.

Sarah quirked an eyebrow. "What exactly were you planning on doing with me in there, Goblin King?" She asked, thinning her lips and quirking an eyebrow.

The Goblin King's eyes shone with mirth. "It is a shortcut to the Goblin City. I have no intention of climbing over all of that." He said, nodding towards the mountains of junk lying between them and the city.

"My mother always warned me against climbing into dark armoires with strange men." Sarah answered seriously, keeping a perfectly straight face.

"Is that so? Wise woman." Jareth grinned. "Come now, I have been nothing but a gentleman towards you this during this little escapade."

"You carried me off in the park and threatened me with slug and fingernail goblins to make me come here!" Sarah exclaimed incredulously.

"That was in the past." Jareth dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand.

"That was like two hours ago!" Sarah balked.

"Are you coming or not?" Jareth said coolly.

Sarah considered. Her goblins would be waiting at the castle, should she need to make an escape. And it would make no sense for him to do something to her before he had gotten his clothes changed back. And he had promised her that she could come and go as she pleased from the Labyrinth, that she wouldn't be stopped from leaving. Sarah walked forward and climbed into the armoire, keeping eye contact with the Goblin King until the darkness enveloped her.

A moment later, she stepped out of an identical armoire, this time just outside of the gates to the goblin city. Several goblins were rummaging around in a nearby rubbish heap, but stopped abruptly upon seeing her and the King, who had followed shortly behind her.

"Do they always stare like that?" Sarah asked uneasily. They were standing still as statues, big yellow eyes staring at them unblinkingly and faces void of any emotion.

"They likely wonder why you are walking freely with me rather than being led away in shackles." He said lightly.

Sarah glanced at him warily but his face held no malice, rather he appeared amused again and shot her a wink. She looked closer at the creatures and recognized them as the drunken goblins that had been in the throne room when she had come to redecorate. Remembering her adventure, Sarah suddenly felt roguish.

She giggled and looked back at the armoire. "Or perhaps they are in shock at seeing their king come out of the closet." Sarah instantly regretted saying this and drew in a sharp breath and she looked hesitantly at him out of the corner of her eye. She let out her breath in relief upon seeing the blank look upon his face. 'Oh, thank goodness, he doesn't understand the reference.' She thought.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The Goblin King asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. I assume you usually 'poof' where you want to go rather than randomly appear out of furniture, that's all." She said cheerfully and began to walk towards the gates, smiling at him over her shoulder. He followed after a moment, muttering under his breath that he did not 'poof'. They chatted lightly as they passed through the city and into the castle. Upon seeing her goblins milling about amongst the other goblins in the throne room, Sarah hurried forward.

"Darry, what happened?" She exclaimed.

"Don't know, Lady," He answered, holding his chunky hands palm-up. "We was followin' you and Kingy and then, we was in an oubliette!"

Lurk appeared next to him and shrugged his shoulders in bewildered concurrence.

Dell was ignoring her completely, gazing wide-eyed at the Goblin King. "I has missed you, Kingy," She whispered in fragile adoration, twisting her filthy dress in her clawed hands.

Jareth shifted uncomfortably. That one had always creeped him out.

"Where is One-eye?" Sarah asked, noticing the absence of her fourth goblin.

"Smigus came to get us out, brought us to the castle. He said we gone soft, that we not real goblins no more 'cause we live with a girl now, so One-eye showed him, yes he did!" Darry informed her proudly.

"And how did he show him?" Sarah asked quickly, dreading the answer.

Darry pointed over to a group of goblins gathered around several empty ale barrels. Sarah could discern two greyish lumps lying prone on the floor amongst the barrels. Sarah noticed that one of the lumps was twitching.

"Drinking contest!" Darry answered merrily. "One-eye won, see, he's still movin'!"

Lurk nodded excitedly.

Sarah grimaced. She surmised that the motionless one must be Smigus. She made her way over to them, smiling at the throne room goblins as they gaped at her, then bent over and picked up an extremely drunk one-eyed goblin.

"One-eye, can you hear me?" She spoke softly. "It's Sarah, it's the Lady."

He twitched again. "mmmmrrrffffmm."

Sarah sighed and wondered what to do with him. Jareth appeared at her side, tapped him on the head and made him vanish.

"What did you do?" Sarah asked in alarm.

"I sent him back to your room in the Aboveground." The Goblin King answered shortly, irritated that she would instantly assume villainy, especially after his chivilarous displays today. Then in a more friendly tone, "And put him to sleep. He won't wake until he is sober."

Sarah looked at him curiously but he suddenly avoided her gaze, spinning around and walking towards a far wall.

"Well, I am glad you guys are okay," Sarah said to her goblins.

"This way, if you please." Jareth called from across the room, standing by a door that hadn't been there a moment ago. Sarah led her goblins over to him as he opened the door and led her through. She followed him up a winding stone staircase, though several hidden doors and up several more spiral staircases, which became more ornate as they ascended. Finally they stopped before a huge black wooden door, decorated with gold inlay in the shape of the King's pendant. Sarah noticed that there was no handle or hinges on the door. Jareth laid his bare hand upon the golden sigil and the door slid into the wall like a knife sliding through butter.

Jareth was grinning ear to ear. "Welcome to my chambers, my lady." He said in a velvety voice, standing aside to let her in.

Sarah, followed closely by Darry, walked past him into the room and, with great effort, schooled her expression to appear unimpressed. Tall, narrow cathedral windows let in the morning light through stained glass panes depicting various scenes of battle and legend. The room was huge, circular, the walls and floors of pale yellow stone smooth with age. The walls were lined with tapestries and shelves and cabinets full of all sorts of wondrous oddments and knick-knacks that sparkled in the morning light. The colored light danced over ebony furnishings carved with runes and celtic-knotwork and strange symbols, over chairs of gold and red velvet surrounding a massive brick fireplace, a fireplace that was likely large enough to fit her entire car in. Across the room from the fireplace was a massive four poster bed of the same intricately carved black wood as the other furniture. The hangings and coverings were red and there was another golden sigil on the tall, carved headboard.

Sarah looked up and couldn't keep the smile from creeping onto her face. The top twenty feet of wall was completely covered with bookshelves, circling most of the room, breaking for the windows and the chimney. A railed wooden platform wound underneath the books, with steps carved into the wall leading down to the floor about fifteen feet below.

Sarah suddenly became aware of Jareth's intent gaze upon her, and she turned to meet it. "So where are your clothes?" She asked indifferently.

A mixture of surprise and irritation flashed through his eyes at the lack of awe and wonder he had expected, and he turned from her and stalked over to the spot of wall between the bed and the windows. A set of wooden doors appeared and flung open at a wave of his hand. Sarah stifled a laugh at the rows of pretty pastel clothes lining the long, dark, narrow room. The Goblin King turned and eyed her sharply, his pale eyes holding a warning. He would not be laughed at in his bedroom, of all places.

Sarah set her expression into something close to impassive and turned and looked down at Darry. "Do you think you can remember how everything was before?"

"Yes, Lady, Darry always remembers!" The fat goblin nodded eagerly.

Sarah smiled. "Alright then, get to it!"

She watched as he waddled across the room, kilt swaying side to side as he passed the King and went into the closet. Jareth grimaced as he watched the goblin run his grubby hands all over his fine clothes, causing the pastels to fade into blacks and browns and blues as he went. After he had gotten past a certain point, Jareth suddenly shrugged his shoulders and his worn clothes were transformed. Sarah knew she was in trouble as he turned towards her with a smirk and a devilish look in his eye.

She bit the inside of her lip as he sauntered over to her, a calculating look on his face. Her eyes flicked over his tight black leather pants and the matching black leather long sleeve top. The neckline dipped almost to his navel, and Sarah felt herself grow warm as her eyes skimmed over his smooth, lightly muscled chest, his pendant winking at her as it caught the light.

He stopped about a foot away, and cocked his head to the side in a decidedly bird of prey like fashion, fixing her with his predatory gaze. "Thank you, Sarah." His voice lilting with unspoken words.

"You're welcome, Goblin King." Sarah was pleased at how even her voice sounded.

Her libido felt this was a good moment to comment 'I bet he tastes as good as he looks,' Sarah forcefully ignored that thought, focusing on his face.

He narrowed his eyes and he licked his lips. "What do you say to a truce?" He asked slowly, watching her intently.

Something niggled in the back of Sarah's mind, a warning not to make any more deals with him. This time she paid it heed. "How about you just be straight with me and stop playing games? Tell me what you are up to."

He huffed and looked away. After a moment of silence, "Do you truly see no good in me? Do you see only ill?" He asked in clipped tones, his posture stiff and his expression defeated.

Sarah was taken aback at his frankness, and suddenly felt bad as she remembered how he had helped her on the path and given her means to escape the fierys, as well giving her free rein of his kingdom, despite her history with it. She sighed and caught his eye.

"Not only ill, no. But you can't blame me for worrying about my safety; this is a dangerous place, after all. Full of dangerous beings." She looked at him meaningfully.

Sarah stilled in surprise as his hand came up and cupped her cheek, his strange eyes gentle.

Jareth paused and took a moment to study the line of her neck, the curve of her cheekbone. He noticed with satisfaction the slight hitch in her breath at his touch.

"You are always safe with me, precious. We may play our games, but I would never allow you to come to harm." He said softly, running a gloved finger along the line of her jaw.

Sarah slowly digested his words, shocked that he would say such a thing to her. She dropped his gaze and found herself looking at the open collar of his shirt, at the lean line of his neck and hollow of his throat, just a few inches away, and her mouth was suddenly dry. Her eyes flicked up to his lips, which were slightly parted as he watched her carefully. Acting impulsively, Sarah reached up and kissed him on the cheek. She pulled away and gave him a small, nervous smile. "Thank you, Jareth; I am sorry I doubted you."

He looked stunned for a moment at such a candid action, but composed himself quickly. They both silently noted that this was the first time she had ever used his name. She thought she saw a look of sudden regret cross his features, but it was so brief that she felt she must have imagined it.

The moment dissipated rapidly as they were reminded that they had an audience.

"All done, Lady, Kingy!" Darry announced proudly, startling them both with his close proximity.

Jareth gave him a severe look. "How did you even get up here the first time? There should be no way for anyone to come in here uninvited."

Darry shuffled his great ugly feet and hesitated, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"What he means is, 'Thank you for your kind assistance', Darry." Sarah interceded, earning a disbelieving sneer from the Goblin King.

"Oh," Darry said, nodding with understanding and looking greatly relieved at the news.

Sarah replayed the words he had just spoken to her and the brief look of shock at her response. She felt powerful, being able to illicit such a reaction from such a beautiful and powerful creature. Even more so, she felt exultation in the possibility that he might feel something for her, a possibility that she had never before allowed herself to consider, thinking it impossible.

Still, in the back of her mind, something still niggled at her. What if she was mistaken? What if it was all just a meaningless game he was playing? She backed away from him a little and turned towards the door. "Come on guys, time to go home."

"Wait, Sarah." The Goblin King said, eyeing her sudden change in demeanor warily. He fought the strong impulse to send her goblins back to the oubliette and lock her away in his tower. But he would not break his word, besides, that course of action would certainly not win her affections. He was having a hard time of it though, especially given their current location and his almost overwhelming desire to just throw her on the bed and have his wicked way with her.

"The terms of our original agreement still stand." He said coolly.

Sarah's shoulders tensed. "Fine." She said stiffly, taking a hold of Darry's hand.

"I look forward to seeing you soon, then." He said.

Sarah nodded curtly then closed her eyes as she felt the shadows encircle her once more.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was several days later, after spring break had ended and Sarah sat in her little apartment finishing up an assignment, that she decided to call on Hoggle for a bit of company. The goblins provided no end of amusement, she thought as she looked over at them playing another game of twister, but her friend was better able to provide her with some decent conversation. Plus, she had yet to fill him in on the details of her trip Underground with the King. Hoggle had come over immediately after she had returned that night, but Sarah had been hesitant to share any of the details, unsure yet how she felt about it all. He had been persistent, however, and she had promised him a full account (leaving out certain Goblin King-related details, of course) the next time he came to visit. Besides, she thought, perhaps Hoggle's enthusiastic disdain for the Goblin King would help her get some control over the warm fuzzy feelings she had started to get whenever she thought of him now.

"….and then he showed me this little orange bird called a Willow Wren, and it showed me all sorts of amazing things." Sarah told him.

"Labyrinths full of those nosy little pests this time of year." Hoggle answered grimly.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Shortly after that he had to go and see to something, then the goblins got stuck in an oubliette and I ran into trouble in the fiery forest."

"What!" He exclaimed.

"No, it was fine; Jareth showed me a trick to get them to leave me alone." Sarah reassured him.

"What kind of trick?" He asked curiously.

Sarah hesitated. "I'll show you, but don't laugh, okay?"

Hoggle raised his eyebrows and sat forward on the couch. "Okay…"

Sarah stood up and eyed him sternly before assuming the pose that had stunned the fierys. She put her leg and arms back down and watched him carefully. Hoggle seemed to be frozen for a moment, his mouth opening and closing several times before he asked, in a strained voice, "You did that in front of a fiery?"

His reaction was making Sarah feel uneasy. "Well I didn't plan on it, but there were at least twenty of them, they had me surrounded, I didn't have much of a choice. Besides, it worked really well." She added defensively.

"You did that it front of twenty fierys!?" He gasped, eyes bulging and mouth agape.

Sarah eyed him uncertainly. "Hoggle, what aren't you telling me?"

Hoggle looked like he was about to explode, and began to shake uncontrollably. He took one more look at Sarah's confused expression and then burst into gales of laughter.

"Hoggle, stop it!" Sarah said irritably.

Hoggle only laughed harder and harder, until he finally fell off the couch.

"Sarah—" He gasped between laughs, "Sarah, do you know what that means?"

Sarah shook her head, an foreboding expression settling on her face.

"Sarah, oh, oh" He was gasping for air "— that's the fiery's mating dance!" He howled with laughter.

"WHAT!" Sarah screamed. She noticed that the goblins had abandoned their game to come and listen and were now cackling and snorting in laughter as well.

"That's what a fiery does when they have chosen a mate," Hoggle choked out from the floor, "Jareth was right that they would leave you alone, wild things that they are, they are very monogamous, and you went and propositioned a whole band of them at once!" He continued his wild laughter, holding his belly from the force of it, tears streaming from his eyes.

Sarah stood frozen in mortification for several long moments. "That rat!" she exclaimed hotly, remembering the mischief in his eyes and how amused he had seemed after returning from his 'urgent business'. "Why, he was probably watching me the whole time!"

She received no response from her companions, who were too far gone at this point to be capable of coherent speech.

"And I bet that's why he wanted a truce, so that I wouldn't be able to get him back when I found out!" She was furious by now, fists clenched and breathing labored. She marched out onto her little porch, breathing in the cool air as she planned out her revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Don't you just want smack them both upside the head? I do. Though I don't think the Goblin King would appreciate such an assault, especially on Sarah, in fact he would probably gjkdkjkiu978yicvvbj,mn,m
> 
> Note from the Author's family:
> 
> Hello, Labyrinth fandom. We regret to inform you that a terrible fate has fallen upon our beloved family member, thebabewiththepower. We came over to her house to check on her after several days without contact and found a toad, covered in glitter, hopping about on her keyboard. We ask you all to help by commenting in the review section "I do believe in the Author, I do, I do!" and then clapping loudly. Together, we can break this curse.


	10. Truth, Dare, and Treasonous Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late, I got a new puppy and I got a bit distracted. Every time I would sit down to write, Loki would squirm in between me and my laptop and be all fluffy and adorable. I have no ability to resist fluffy or adorable. Or anything named Loki. I promise to post at least every week or two, never less than that.
> 
> Soooo, remember how I said this would even-tua-ly become M rated? Well, I meant it, but I am apparently a hopeless romantic. I had them hold hands for pete's sake. But we're getting there, I promise, sexytimes on the horizon.
> 
> Warning: Do not eat noodles and tabasco hot sauce while reading this! It's for your own safety. I did so while writing a particularly amusing bit and very much regret it. My nostrils still burn.

* * *

The Goblin King lay sprawled out on a branch high in a tree in the fiery forest. His legs stretched out before him, one dangling off the branch and swinging lazily, his back against the trunk of the tree and one arm tucked up behind his head as he peered into the crystal he held, lips pursed in thought as he contemplated the young woman within.

He had, of course, been watching her in owl form after the little bird had warned him of the approaching fierys. He'd worried for a moment that her stubbornness would win out and he would have to swoop in and save her, but she had surprised him with her spectacular move of punching the fiery's head off. He smirked, remembering. It was one hell of a right hook, certainly not something any of the fae women he knew would think to attempt. Had she not been so greatly outnumbered, he had no doubt that she would have defeated them all with her bare hands.

After she had done the fiery mating pose, just as he had shown her, he nearly fell off his branch shaking from suppressed laughter. He had had to take a few minutes to collect himself before going off to find her. He hoped she wouldn't be too unforgiving when she found out, she was, after all, such a great champion of fairness, and she had started this whole thing, anyway.

No, he had no regrets, but he was getting impatient. It had been nearly a week Aboveground and Sarah had still not called him. With a graceful twist, he flung himself from the branch and spread his owl's wings as he took off for the Above, intending to remind his lady of her promise.

 

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"Another point for Oog!" Sarah proclaimed, putting down another tally mark on the sheet of paper on the coffee table before her. The tall, thin goblin did a little victory dance, looking very much like a breakdancing stick-bug with troll-doll hair. Sarah laughed.

"Okay, ready? One, two, three!" She threw another skittle at the goblins gathered together across from the couch, laughing as they yelled and scrambled over each other trying to reach it first. Linnie, who had been standing back a little, took advantage of the dog pile and leapt up into the air, catching the candy in her mouth before landing gracelessly on top of the others.

"And that one goes to Linnie!" Sarah declared amongst mingled cheers and groans.

"Alright, last one, this one will be the tie-breaker!" Sarah warned. "One, two, three!" She pelted the last skittle off to their left, giggling as they all moved together like a hideous tidal wave, biting and clawing at each other as they fought to reach the little candy.

Suddenly Lurk appeared out of nowhere, calmly bending over and picking up the skittle and popping it in his mouth as the others continued to wrestle with each other, oblivious.

"And Lurk is our winner!" Sarah announced loudly, causing the other goblins to look up in confusion and then dismay as they realized what had happened.

"Rematch, rematch!" One-eye demanded pounding his fists on his warty legs.

"No, I have work to do, how about I put on some cartoons instead?"

The goblins seemed to accept this, untangling themselves and filing over to the couch. Sarah flicked on the television and went back to her book. It was an old autobiography of a man who claimed to have had dealings with other worldly creatures, and had written down all he had learned. She was re-reading the section on the Fae, as it had been several years since she had last read this book and figured a refresher course was in order, given recent events.

_The Fae, also known as the Fair Folk, refer to_

_a type of being that belongs to a group of supernatural_

_creatures belonging both in this world and in another,_

_known to them as 'Underground'. They look much like_

_humans, both in stature and appearance, with some_

_differences. As their name suggests, the Fae are pale_

_and beautiful. Most possess some degree of magic,_

_and all can travel between worlds and take a wide_

_variety of avian shapes. While the Fae mostly belong_

_to the benevolent 'Seelie Court', one should never_

_underestimate them, as they are extremely tricky and_

_misleading. I have found it best to avoid them at all costs._

'You don't say!' Sarah thought sarcastically. 'Well, it's too late for that.'

_It is well known in faery lore that they have a proclivity_

_towards abducting children, often replacing them_

_with changelings. There are several things that can_

_be done to keep them away. Cold iron is deadly to_

_the Fae, and a ring of salt will keep any supernatural_

_creature at bay._

'Tell me something I don't know,' Sarah thought in frustration. She read on:

_Other ways of keeping the Fae away are to keep a_

_piece of bread tucked in ones shirt, and to wear clothes_

_inside out. A Fae will not be able to touch someone who_

_does these things._

'Hmmm. How strange. How'd he discover those little factoids?' She wondered with amusement, trying to imagine a likely scenario.

_Young women are also in danger of abduction. If_

_one must deal with a Fae, obtain its promise that you_

_are free to return to your home whenever you wish._

_A Fae cannot lie, its word is binding. Do not eat any_

_food from the Underground, and do not dance in a_

_faery circle. Those who do these things are bound to the_

_Underground and may never return to the mortal world._

'Well, this guy clearly got it wrong, I did both those things and I left.' She thought with disappointment, closing the book and going to the kitchen to make some lunch. She noticed out of the corner of her eye something whitish moving outside the window. Turning around sharply, she glared at the owl sitting on a branch outside, knowing full well what it really was.

Sarah had been mortified when she had discovered what he had tricked her into doing, but more than that she was angry for actually letting herself believe that he might be genuinely interested in her. It had all been an act to get her to do what he wanted, how could someone like him ever be interested in someone like her, after all?

No one ever wanted her.

Still, she had hoped that there might be something there, and the reality that it had all been a game left a rather bitter taste in her mouth. She would get him back, she had just been waiting for the right moment, sending Lurk to scout out the castle every day to see when the best time would be. He had returned today with news of some feast, and Sarah had decided that it would be a perfect time to strike.

The owl cocked its head inquisitively, and Sarah shot it another glare before spinning around and storming away, muttering something to Linnie as she passed the little blue goblin sitting on the couch.

Sarah heard a surprised squawk behind her, and when she looked over her shoulder the owl was gone but for a few feathers floating in the air, the branch it had been sitting on suddenly wrapped in a dense, thorny vine. Sarah smiled and went to make a sandwich, thinking how eager she was for tonight to come, when she would put her plan into action.

 

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* * *

Jareth landed on the outskirts of the Labyrinth, transforming back into himself and limping over to lean against a low wall. He grimaced stoically as he pulled out the long, barbed thorns from his legs one by one, casting them into a nearby pool.  _Perhaps_  he had underestimated how angry she might be, he thought, feeling a new and unexpected wariness in regards to the Champion of the Labyrinth. Oh well, he would just have to give her more time to cool down, there was nothing he could do about it at the moment anyway, as he needed to prepare for the Ostara feast being held at the castle for the next few days, starting tomorrow. It would take hours just to get all the chickens out of the castle, not to mention get it clean enough for his parents and the Seelie Court that would accompany them.

"At least the throne room's been freshly painted," He said sarcastically, disappearing and reappearing in his chambers to change out of his torn clothes before setting off to make preparations.

Several hours later, the castle beyond the Goblin City was cleaner than it had been in thirty years, since the last time King Jareth had been obligated to host a festival. The livestock and the goblins had been banished to the city, save for a few of the more articulate goblins, who were staying in the castle at his bidding to run errands. The walls and floors had been scrubbed, and various banners and tapestries and other hangings had been pulled out of storage and hung up, giving the place a finer, more sophisticated air. Now in his chambers, he was selecting the several dozen outfits he would need for the days ahead.

"Silk or velvet, that is the question." He murmured to himself, scrutinizing several potential coats. He settled for the ones that best emphasized his hair, as it was his best feature, after all. He gave himself an adoring smirk in the mirror, proudly examining his golden locks. Since his adolescence, his hair had been the envy of the Underground, it was widely considered the most magnificent head of hair seen for many years, and Jareth was exceedingly vain about it. Scam products promising 'Jareth-esque volume and flair' were sold in dark alleys, while professional stylists spent much of their careers attempting to replicate the Goblin King's 'doo for their clients.

Satisfied that his selected wardrobe would display him to the best possible advantage, he shrugged his shoulders and changed into a pair of black silk pajama pants before climbing into his massive bed. Exhausted from his busy day and preoccupied with thoughts of tomorrow, the Goblin King drifted off to sleep, completely oblivious to the two disembodied shadows waiting by the wall. After they were sure he was asleep, the shadows, one large and one small, slowly crept toward the King, doing what they had been sent for and then slipping soundlessly up the walls, escaping through a gap in the rafters.

Stretching and rolling out of bed, Jareth walked over to his gold-framed full length mirror as he did every day, but something was wrong this morning. He blinked in sleepy confusion for a moment and then waved his hand to remove the bizarre illusion from his mirror.

Nothing happened.

With a look of dawning horror, he waved his hand more frantically, but again it was to no avail.

Jareth, hands moving in slow-motion, reached up and grabbed several strands of his hair in both hands, pulling it into his line of vision.

His golden, star-kissed, feathery strands were now a bold, garish hot pink.

Jareth stood paralyzed for a moment, temporarily unable to process this horrific reality. He was snapped out of his paralysis by a knock on his door.

"Majesty!" Came the scraping, grating voice of the goblin called Smigus. "They's here to see you, the Lordies and Ladies from court! I's come to get you, just like you say!"

Jareth stared at the door, bile rising in his throat. There was no way anyone was going to see him like this. He would never live it down. It would be the talk of the Underground for years, the very safety of his kingdom would be in danger. Who would fear a pink-haired Goblin King?

"Does your cruelty know no bounds, my love?" He said in disbelief and reluctant admiration.

"Wha's that, Kingy?"

Jareth straightened suddenly, a look of cold determination on his face. This had gone on long enough, he must put a stop to it before things got any more out of hand.

"Something urgent has come up, give the visitors my deepest apologies and tell them I shall return at the earliest convenience. Be sure they are provided suitable refreshments." He commanded in a regal voice.

"Ok!" The goblin called back happily through the door, and Jareth could hear the sound of its claws scraping against the stone floor as it scurried off to do his bidding.

Jareth moved away from the mirror so that he wouldn't have to see this waking nightmare and magically changed out of his low-hanging silk pajama pants and into his black leather trousers and boots, and a loose cream silk shirt that was open to his navel, proudly displaying his pendant, among other things. Finally, he donned a high-collared leather jacket. He knew that the effect was greatly diminished by the current state of his hair, but he forced himself to think intimidating and seductive thoughts as he hurriedly pulled on his gloves and conjured a crystal. She was alone in her apartment, good. Before he could leave though, he was frozen by a familiar voice from behind him, deep and tinged with amusement.

"I'm afraid that color isn't very becoming on you, son. Clashes terribly with the ensemble."

Jareth turned towards the window, where a man with long, straight, silver hair under a crown of golden oak leaves watched him with a wide grin.

"This isn't  _my_  doing." Jareth objected, motioning angrily to his hair. "I am sorry, father, but I have to leave now, do you think you could start the festival in my stead? I'll be back as soon as I can get this sorted." Jareth was horribly embarrassed that his father, of all people, had witnessed this. Hopefully he would think it a magical mishap or something of the sort. No one bested the Goblin King. No one except  _her,_  anyway _._

"Ah, to be sure." King Oberon chuckled. "Your mother wished to dine with you this morn, but I see you are quite indisposed. I shall give her your regrets."

Jareth nodded impatiently. "Many thanks." He made to leave.

"Oh, and Jareth," The High King called after him, his piercing blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "Whoever this fearless maiden is, I want to meet her."

With an exasperated sigh and an angry swirl of black glitter, the Goblin King left for the Above, hearing the echo of his father's deep melodious laughter as he went.

 

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* * *

Sarah was in her bedroom, putting away her laundry and humming along with the radio when the thunder started and the power went out. She looked out the window in confusion and then dismay, a moment ago it had been sunny and warm, now the skies were dark and ominous. She had a good idea who might be responsible and hurried to latch the window, smirking as she thought about how upset he must be right now. He could fly against the window all he wanted, she would just pull the blinds and ignore him. Hopefully a bunch of people had seen his 'new look', and it would serve him right, she thought. She chuckled to herself as she turned around and ran smack dab into something solid and warm. She looked up in horror at the terrible face of the Goblin King glaring down at her, looking like he was ready to commit murder.

"How did you get in here, all the windows are locked-"

"It would seem you have underestimated me, Sarah." He replied in a calm, deadly voice, standing still as a statue, fierce and hauntingly beautiful, illuminated by the frequent lightning flashes.

She backed away and quickly took stock of the situation. He was between her and the door, the goblins were in the dining room gorging on pizza and… oh.

His  _hair_.

She just stared at it for a moment. It was more wonderful than she could have hoped for, if she died right now (as seemed likely) she would go without regrets.

Seeing that Sarah was barely withholding her laughter, The furious (and yet fabulous) Goblin King snarled and advanced on her, caging her against the wall.

"Fix it  _now_ , precious, or else-"

Sarah thought it just wasn't fair, how he could look so ridiculous and yet still be so damn sexy.

"Or else what?" Sarah challenged him, slipping out under his arm and turning to face him from in front of the doorway.

She felt simultaneously like the hero come to slay the dragon and the idiot that woke it up in the first place, but he had made her promises, she was sure he would not hurt her nor keep her underground against her will. She straightened her spine and stared him down defiantly, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

The Goblin King went deadly still, and after a long minute, a slow and delicious smirk spread across his face. He moved forward faster than she would have believed possible, held her head firmly in his hands, and kissed her.

He poured all his pent up longing into the kiss, trying with this one action to communicate all the words he couldn't say. He pressed his lips against hers with a fevered passion, his tongue flicking out to taste her, teasing along her lips, begging entrance.

Sarah was completely overwhelmed. It was not the fact that he was kissing her that shocked her so much as  _how_  he was kissing her. His actions belied the vengeful king of a moment ago, suggesting instead something far more poignant. He held her tenderly, as if she would slip through his fingers like sand if he held on too tightly, his kiss was genuine and without guile, it was a kiss of true affection. She felt herself begin to respond with equal passion, caught up in the fire and electricity that flowed between them. He pulled her tighter against him, and she melted into him, relishing the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers, setting every nerve in her abuzz.

Snapping back to herself abruptly, she pulled away from him, pushing out her arms to create some distance between them. 'What am I doing!' She thought to herself 'I can't trust him, this is— this is—'

Sensing her panic, Jareth pulled her back to him gently and said, voice roughened, "Let's make a deal, love. Tell your goblin to undo  _this_ ," He said the last word with disgust, motioning towards his hair, "And agree to a truce, and I will promise to answer three questions for you, any questions you'd like."

Sarah tried to think, still a bit dizzy from the unexpected kiss and rather distracted by the fact that he was still holding her, despite her half-hearted attempts to pull away.

"Will you answer whatever questions I ask? Whenever I ask them? And without any attempt to trick or deceive?" She stepped purposefully out of his grasp and backed away a few paces, part of her wondering what the hell she was thinking, bargaining with him again, another part of her wondering why she was out of his arms.

Jareth followed her and grinned, cocking his head to the side. "I will."

"I don't want to use them on accident. The questions will only count towards the deal if I say so before I ask them."

"Very well." He agreed.

"And the terms of this truce?" She asked breathlessly, watching him carefully as he began to circle her, head held high and hands clasped behind his back, displaying perfect self-control, in stark contrast with her obviously flustered state.

"I shall not engage in any malicious trickery against you, provided that you can refrain from doing so against me. All previous agreements and promises still stand." He said in a low voice, eyes roving over her.

Sarah took a deep breath and picked over the terms carefully in her mind, looking for any loopholes.

"Very well. I agree."

Before he could come any closer she said, "Darry, come here."

The rotund goblin waddled into the room, giving the Goblin King a grumpy look.

"Kingy not like it? Darry make him pretty, just like Lady said!" The goblin pouted.

Jareth sneered and looked ready to deliver a scathing retort, but was stopped by a sharp look from Sarah, who stood behind her goblin with her hands on her hips.

Grimacing at the indignity of it, Jareth bent down to his level and grit out, "I would prefer my hair to be the way it was, right now, if you please."

Darry looked back at Sarah, who nodded in approval. With a quick swipe of his claw, Jareth's hair was once again corn-silk blonde. The goblin huffed and waddled from the room, clearly upset about the lack of appreciation for his work.

Jareth stood to his full height, once again appearing haughty and proud. He and Sarah eyed each other for a minute in silence in the darkening bedroom. Finally she spoke.

She looked over at the crystal on her dresser. "First question, what is the true purpose of that crystal?"

Jareth sighed and said quietly, almost regretfully, "The crystal is for you protection, Sarah. Its purpose is to alert me if you are in danger. That is all it does, all it ever did."

She looked at him in surprise, trying to find some sign of deception. His eyes were clear and beseeching, and he seemed uncomfortable and unfamiliar with such straightforward honesty.

"Why would I be in danger? Wait, no, don't answer that yet, it is not my second question." She thought for a moment, still not reconciled with his answer and its potential implications.

"Okay, second question. If the crystal would alert you to me being in danger, why did you ask me to agree to call on you? Wouldn't that be redundant?"

Jareth stilled and his face became a blank mask. He gauged her carefully for a moment before answering. "I wished to court you."

"What! I- what!?"

"Do you really find that so hard to believe?" He chuckled softly.

"Well, yeah, I mean- I don't know, it's just..."

'Real smooth, Sarah', she thought to herself. This was going in an entirely different direction than she had thought it would.

He grinned in amusement, then suddenly looked serious and somewhat unsure.

"Does this please you?" He asked, attempting to look indifferent and failing miserably.

His discomfort, more than anything, convinced her of his sincerity, as it was in such stark contrast with his usual smug and self-assured demeanor.

She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the butterflies that were doing cartwheels in her stomach.

"Yes, yes it does."

She took a step towards him and gave him a small, nervous smile. He placed his hands on her arms and let out a poorly disguised breath of relief, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes closed and face unreadable.

She basked in the intimate feeling for a moment as she mulled over his words, mind reeling.

"Why—" her voice unsteady, she tried again, "Why didn't you tell me that from the start?

"Would you have believed me?" He countered.

"I might have….." She said softly.

"And would you have accepted the crystal, knowing it was for your protection, or would you have insisted that you were fine and could take care of yourself, and stubbornly refused any and all of my attempts to give you aid or to woo you?" He leaned back a bit and gave her a tight-lipped, knowing grin, raising an eyebrow and challenging her to deny it.

Sarah blushed and changed the subject. "That doesn't make it okay that you deceived me."

He shrugged. "I did what I felt I needed to. It was all for you, precious thing. Everything I have done, I've done for you."

Sarah melted. With the issue of the crystal resolved, and the wonderful feeling of his strong arms around her again, she couldn't think of a single reason to hold back. Searching his eyes, she found what she was looking for and reached up on her tip-toes to kiss him. He responded with a fierceness that surprised her, his arms pulling her flush against him as he claimed her mouth desperately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against him, causing him to growl and nip her lower lip. Sarah gasped slightly and he took advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth and caressing hers. Her knees went weak at the sensation and Sarah pulled away, resting her head against his chest, trying to control her breathing and calm down before things got out of hand. She listened to his pounding heartbeat, enjoying the feeling of her cheek against his warm chest and his hands rubbing slow circles on her lower back. After a minute she asked, "So, what now?"

Jareth put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his.

"Now, my dear, the real fun begins."

 

JSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJS

* * *

Miles away, in a dark, dank cave along a rocky beach by the frigid Atlantic Ocean, a red-haired woman stood surrounded by all manner of sea monsters; grindylows and selkies, rusalkas* and few qualupaliks**, off in a corner by themselves. They swarmed around her anxiously, wondering why they had all been called here. The woman stood on a rock above them all, lifting her arm in a bid for silence.

"Long ago, our enemies defeated us in a great war, we were almost completely wiped out." She started.

The monsters growled and snarled angrily. Several other kelpies, some in the shapes of horses while others were also wearing the shapes of women they'd devoured, watched their sister with interest.

"But we survived, hiding in the depths of the sea, we took new shapes, learned new tricks, and our enemies left this world for another."

The crowd murmured in agreement.

"But the time has come to return to our former glory, to leave the sea and seek new lands, new power!"

The crowd stilled.

"Not far from here, there is a girl who bears a pathway to the Underground, I have seen her! The Fae likely have become defenseless against us, they have forgotten the old ways, there would be an endless feast for us in their land, all we must do is hunt her down and follow the path! We will escape this polluted world and its weak offerings."

The noise became almost deafening from the riled crowd. The kelpie wearing the red-haired woman's body raised her voice and yelled over the din, and at her next words the cacophony around her transformed into sickening cheers and eerie howls.

"The Unseelie court will rise again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rusalka (Slavic Mythology): An underwater succubus demon.
> 
> **Qalupalik (Inuit Mythology): Lives in the sea. Green skin and long creepy fingernails.
> 
> Major thanks to 3iggy for being my beta!
> 
> As always, reviews are very much appreciated.


	11. Kings and Closets

* * *

Jareth returned to the Underground in an exuberant explosion of golden glitter and immediately burst into song and dance, much to the delight of the castle's guests, who had been muttering and discontentedly speculating as to the reason for their host's absence. It had been several years since King Jareth had been any fun, and the Seelie Court was well placated by the unexpected show.

Jareth could care less what the courtiers or anyone else thought, he was ecstatic, over the moon, if it had just been him and the goblins he might have skipped a little.  _Sarah,_  his obsession, his secret love, his lady, had agreed to come to the festival as his guest, and now he couldn't wait for the feasting and games to be over and for the party to move to the mountains, where the bonfires would be lit and the people would dance as they anticipated the dawn.

Sarah was having a mild panic attack. What did one wear to an obscure pagan festival in another world, especially when one was to be escorted by a King of goblins? Would her blue cotton dress make her stick out like a sore thumb? Probably. Did the women of the underground wear makeup, or was it only the men? Jareth had mentioned bonfires and dancing, she wondered with sudden apprehension if clothing was indeed involved at all.

The last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself, or to make Jareth regret inviting her. She smiled, remembering how he had responded to her kiss. However, there was no way she was going to dance naked around a bonfire, cultural expectations be damned.

She was still unable to accept the reality that her childhood villain purposed to court her, or that she had accepted. She felt as though she was reading some bizarre fantasy novel and wondered, with a sort of detached fascination, what might happen next.

Hearing a little popping sound, Sarah turned around. On her bed had appeared a white dress that was heavily embroidered with silver thread. It was a thin, silky material, sleeveless and formless with a modest v-neck, hem probably coming to her mid-calf, with a silver sash to tie around the waist. A square of thick, rough-looking paper with elegant handwriting lay on top of it.

_A gift._

Tentatively, Sarah picked it up, setting the note aside and rubbing the sensual fabric between her fingers. It was beautiful, and her inner princess was squealing with delight. She hesitated for all of three seconds before dropping her robe and slipping the dress over her head, grinning widely as she spied herself in the mirror.

She looked like someone out of a fairy tale, she thought giddily as she fastened the sash. Though the gown was somewhat loose, it clung in all the right places and hung off her curves in a very becoming way. Grabbing the matching slippers and tugging them on, Sarah smiled at her reflection, doing a little twirl so that the skirt spun around her, silver thread twinkling.

"I am glad you like it, you look stunning." Rumbled a deep voice from directly behind her.

Sarah jumped and spun around, embarrassed that Jareth had caught her acting so silly. "Could you please give some kind of warning before poofing in like that?"

Sarah saw him sour a bit at the term 'poofing', but he answered with a devilish grin, "At least I waited until you put the dress on."

Sarah opened her mouth to tell him off, then thought better of it. Infuriating he might be, but she had promised herself that she would give this a fair shot, and yelling at him wasn't the best way to start the evening, so she decided to graciously ignore that last comment.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." She replied, causing Jareth to quirk an eyebrow at the unfamiliar phrase.

And  _oh_ , he didn't. Sarah noticed with a squirming feeling in her stomach that they were dressed to match. His boots, leggings, and poet's shirt were all a dove gray, but his jacket was the same white material as hers, with the same silver embroidered pattern. A pattern that looked suspiciously like his medallion, now that she thought about it. He wore no make-up, but there were metallic silver streaks running through his wild hair. He watched her with an almost solemn intensity, strange eyes shining with some unidentifiable emotion, though he still wore the devilish grin.

Sarah looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm.

'We need to not be in my bedroom anymore,' She thought, remembering the steamy kisses from a few hours ago. 'Was that all it was, a few hours? It feels like so much longer. So much has changed.' She reflected, still feeling rather detached from the present situation.

And then he was suddenly right before her, leaning forward so that she could feel his breath against her cheek as he spoke. Hello reality.

"Shall we, my dear?" He asked, gesturing towards the closet.

Sarah nodded, wondering bemusedly what is it was with him and closets. He led her through into a beautiful forest, her apartment dissolving behind them. The trees, with their thick trunks, twisted branches and broad leaves, reminded her of old maples, except that their leaves were violet rather than green. It seemed as if every bush and blade of grass was in bloom and the forest was a riot of glittering color, lit up by the rays of the setting suns slanting sideways through the trees. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of earth and wildflowers and a light breeze stirred around them.

Turning back toward Jareth and eyeing him cautiously, Sarah asked, "Where are we? I thought you said this festival was in a valley."

"It is, it's just over there a ways," he said, gesturing off to her right. "I thought you might like to see the forest," He added.

'And walk alone with me for a bit.' He thought to himself with a sly grin.

"It is beautiful." Sarah conceded with a smile. " Are we in the mountains?" She asked as she admired their surroundings, following his lead through the trees.

"Yes, how did you know?" He asked, somewhat surprised.

"Just a guess."

Sarah remembered the sharp purple mountains shown to her by the willow wren, she felt the up-close reality of them was far more beautiful.

She was trying not to show how nervous she was, she was relying completely on him keeping his word right now. The goblins had been left at home, convinced that she would be fine with the Goblin King and that he would bring her home as promised. Sarah was not so sure. She was not accustomed to trusting others, having been ostracized by her peers for the last few years had hardened her and left her rather jaded. She was surprised at herself for agreeing to come with Jareth so easily, he was the most dangerous and unpredictable person she had ever met, she should be doing all she could to avoid him. And yet, something about him, something in the way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, made her want to follow him blindly, to see what wondrous paths he might lead her on, what adventures they could have. She admitted that she wanted to be dangerous with him, to feel the unexplainable wild joy and the rush of adrenaline that she felt whenever she was near him. But she had to be careful. He was impossible to predict, impossible to read, even now she had no idea what his thoughts were.

Jareth watched her furtively out of the corner of his eye as they continued through the woods side by side, wondering what was troubling her. She had gone from awed to tense in a matter of minutes, seemingly without cause. He waved his hand behind his back, determined to bring that beautiful smile back to her face. Against all odds, he had been given a second chance with her, and he intended to make the most of it.

Sarah was broken out of her thoughts by a strange sight. Several white and purple flowers had detached themselves from their bushes and were floating in the air towards her, as if carried by someone unseen. She looked at Jareth questioningly, and he gave her an enigmatic grin, watching her expectantly. Sarah laughed in surprised delight as the flowers came forward and began to dance around her, weaving themselves together until they formed a crown that settled itself on her head.

"You really are incredible, you know that?" She told the Goblin King, beaming at him. He visibly relaxed as he felt the tension between them dissipate.

The smugness that radiated off of Jareth could likely be felt in neighboring kingdoms. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers lightly, pulling away and smiling roguishly before she could react.

"Come along, the gathering is just ahead."

They set off together again at a brisk pace, soon coming to a break in the trees. Jareth pulled her out onto a rocky ledge overlooking a wide valley, at least two miles across, surrounded by steep purple mountains. Sarah could see a multitude of tents and hundreds of people (or what looked like people, anyway) milling about below. At least a dozen (thirteen, Jareth informed her) towering bonfires dotted the valley, giving it an orange glow that matched the evening sky above. The suns had almost sunk behind the mountains and the valley was cast in semi-darkness, but Sarah could see that all around the valley, on ledges like hers, were women wearing white dresses. As she watched, the last sun finally set behind the mountains and the women in white began to sing.

She stood, spellbound, as the haunting melody echoed through the valley like a solemn lullaby. The people below were still and silent now, listening with reverence. Sarah felt the music in her very bones, it reverberated through her and she suddenly felt a desperate need to join in. She turned to Jareth, who was watching her reaction with poorly-disguised fascination.

"I don't know the words." She told him sadly.

"You will, one day." He answered back gently.

Sarah was confused by that, but doubted he would explain further. "What are they singing about?"

"Love. Fertility. Rebirth and healing."

She turned away from his intense gaze, focusing again on the strange song as if in a trance.

When it was over they made their way down the remaining fifty or so feet of the steep slope, coming to a rest on the grass-carpeted valley floor. The people had come alive when the song ended, and everywhere she looked there were all different kinds of peoples laughing, dancing, moving from fire to fire and tent to tent across the vast field. She saw several men and women watching them that looked similar to Jareth, tall, beautiful and fair, with eyebrows that slanted up, but there were also elves and dwarves, satyrs and centaurs, and a few others that Sarah could not identify.

Her eyes went wide as a 12 foot troll came lumbering towards her, the crowd parting rapidly to allow him to pass. Sarah glanced at Jareth and saw that he did not seem the least bit concerned. The troll stopped in front of them, leaning over to be at eye level and smiled widely, showing jagged yellow teeth.

"What's this you got here, Goblin King? A lovely little human." He leered hungrily at Sarah, who squared her shoulders and held his gaze, careful not to show any fear.

"Prince Rehdrag, meet my Lady Sarah, she is here as my guest." He spoke pleasantly enough, but the warning in his eyes was clear.

' _My_ Lady Sarah?' Sarah thought, distracted for a moment as the butterflies in her stomach came back with a vengeance.

"Ah, well that's new." The troll prince gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment then shrugged his massive shoulders and said, with more political savvy than any troll had a right to have, "Any friend of Jareth's is a friend of mine. Welcome to the Ostara festival, Lady Sarah."

Sarah blinked and thanked him, then made to curtsy but was stopped by Jareth, who placed a hand on her arm and gave her a minute shake of his head. As he led her away she shot him a questioning look.

"You bow to no one. " He said simply, face unreadable.

Sarah didn't know what to make of that.

"And don't worry about him or his ilk," He said, nodding his head in the direction of the troll prince. "The trolls stopped eating humans centuries ago."

"What!?"

Jareth laughed as he led her through the crowds, stopping repeatedly to introduce her to various Lords and Ladies, until Sarah felt dizzy trying to remember them all. Eventually they came to a large emerald green tent, with several guards in elaborate armor stationed outside the door. Jareth led her past them and into the open-roofed tent, which was filled with a strange mixture of flower bushes, fruit trees, couches, and cushions. In the center of the room reclined a man and a woman, who got to their feet and smiled as Jareth and Sarah approached.

"Sarah, meet my mother and father, High King Oberon and Queen Titania." He said, bowing to his father and embracing his mother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sarah smiled, trying not to show how star-struck she actually felt at meeting such legendary beings. She completely forgot what Jareth had said earlier and curtsied deeply.

Oberon nodded in acknowledgement, grinning and eyeing her with a fascinated curiosity. The Queen broke away excitedly from her son and took Sarah's hands in hers, beaming at the girl. It was clear that Jareth took after his father. The woman before her had large dark eyes and auburn hair. With round shimmering cheeks and a small, upturned nose, Titania looked the part of Faery Queen, all she was missing were wings. In fact, if Sarah hadn't already known her to be Jareth's mother, she might have thought her just a girl, what with her slight figure and rounded features. Sarah noticed curiously that her eyebrows were normal, they did not flare up like the other fae's she had seen.

"What is this, my son has finally brought a guest!" She said joyfully. "The pleasure is ours, my dear, you are most welcome here! Come along, we must talk, just us girls." Sarah looked back at Jareth in alarm as the Queen of the Underground proceeded to drag her away to a corner of the tent.

"Mother-" Jareth began exasperatedly.

"We'll be along shortly, go on you two, the people will be waiting for you to start the dances." She dismissed both Kings with a casual wave of her delicate hand and continued pulling a bewildered Sarah away. Jareth shot Sarah an apologetic look before following his father out of the tent.

Titania settled onto a pile of cushions, patting the space beside her and indicating that Sarah should join her there.

Settling down, Sarah eyed the woman carefully, wondering what she was so eager to talk about. Titania summoned a bottle and two glasses with a wave of her hand and poured a white liquid out for the both of them. Sarah was wary of accepting the drink, but this was the High Queen and Jareth's mother, and Sarah had never been one to be rude. Titania toasted Sarah before draining her glass, and Sarah returned the gesture, sipping carefully. The Queen's smile was bright and infectious, and Sarah couldn't help but feel at ease with her.

"To be honest, dear, when I saw Jareth escorting you down off the ledge, wearing his symbol, I couldn't believe my eyes," The Queen started, refilling her glass and topping off Sarah's, toasting her again before taking a sip. "To make a public proclamation like that, without warning his mother first, he is a naughty son, nearly gave me a heart attack!" She said in a lively tone, giving Sarah a wink.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'a proclamation'?" Sarah asked, frowning.

"Oh goodness, you mean he did that without telling you what it meant first? As I said, a naughty boy." She looked at Sarah appraisingly. "You are from the Aboveworld, yes?"

Sarah nodded.

"How much do you know about Ostara, and the celebrations we hold in her name?" Titania asked carefully.

"Not much, I know that it is about springtime. I was hoping to learn more this evening."

"Well. She was a fae that lived long, long ago, well known for her incredible fertility. My people are frequently childless, you see, and even those that are not are only able to have a few offspring. Ostara bore three hundred and thirteen children over her long life, though she never took a husband. In the springtime, she would dress in white and stand on a mountain ledge over a valley, where men from far and wide would come and fight one another for the chance to be her lover for a time and to father a child or two. After she passed into the fade, her children and their families began to meet in meadows and mountain valleys every spring in remembrance of her. It eventually became more widespread, and now all the underground celebrates, praying to her spirit for love and fertility."

Sarah's face had been gradually becoming redder and redder during this explanation, and by this point she resembled a strawberry. She wondered what the potential implications of Jareth coming down off the ledge with her were.

"Oh, not to fret, dear," Titania said upon noticing Sarah's expression. "He was just letting the public know that he intends to make you his queen."

" _WHAT_!" Sarah yelled.

"Are you not engaged to Jareth?" Titania asked in bewilderment.

"No! I only agreed to this courting thing a few hours ago!" Sarah thought back frantically, wondering if she had done or said something that would make him think otherwise.

"Oh dear. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. You know, I am sure he meant to tell you, perhaps he meant it to be a surprise. Are you alright dear? You look unwell."

Sarah took several deep breaths and drained her wine glass. "I think I need to speak with Jareth."

"I imagine so," The Queen answered with a wry half-smile, standing and walking with Sarah to the door of the tent. "Do go easy on him though, he is clearly enamored with you." She said beseechingly, putting a hand on Sarah's arm.

Sarah gazed unsurely at the Queen. "You don't think it's just some game of his?"

Titania gave her an enigmatic smirk. "Oh, everything's a game down here, my dear, but that doesn't mean it's not real." And with that they walked out into the night together, making their way through the crowds in search of their kings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> Jareth's being a what, you say?
> 
> Let's just call it cultural differences, eh? That is a nice, safe phrase that won't get the author turned into a toad again. Besides, you have to admire how well he has been suppressing any villainous urges. But will it last?
> 
> Please review….


	12. Don't Sink My Ship

After the queen pointed her in the right direction, Sarah took off in search of Jareth, slippers treading purposefully across the grass as she searched for him amongst the dancing pairs. She needed to get to the bottom of this and figure out what exactly he meant by announcing to the entire Underground that they were engaged when, in fact, they were not. Captivating and alluring he might be, but she barely knew the man and had no intention of allowing him to toy with her like that, or, alternately, of rushing into anything heedlessly. Surely he hadn't meant anything by it?

_Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave….._

Sarah pushed away those confusing memories and squinted, trying to find her infuriating king in the darkening valley. She meant to try and get a straight answer out of him, if it took her all night.

She wove her way through the various dancing pairs, stopping and starting as she thought she caught glimpses of wild blonde hair or a white and silver jacket out of the corner of her eye, only for it to be gone when she went to get a better look. Growing frustrated and fighting down an uncomfortable sense of deja-vu, Sarah turned to make her way back to the tent to wait for him there, when suddenly she collided with the High King himself.

"Oh, I am sorry, I was looking for Jareth, I didn't mean to run into you like that," She said.

"Not to worry! We didn't get a chance to speak earlier. I wanted to tell you how honored I am to meet the young lady clever enough to best the Labyrinth, and daring enough to take on my son. It's not just anyone who could successfully prank the King of the Goblins, you know." He placed a chaste kiss on her hand and winked, golden crown flickering in the light of the bonfires.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, surprised at his unexpected approval of her shenanigans. "Which prank might you be referring to, your Majesty?"

"Oh, there was more than one?" Oberon asked with glee, drawing her back out to the clearing where others were dancing in pairs between the bonfires and began leading her in the steps. "I was referring to the image of loveliness that he was last morning. I have to say, my dear, despite his efforts, I have never seen him look so fabulous." He told her, laughter shining in his eyes.

Sarah smiled, suppressing a giggle. "I am glad, though honestly a bit surprised, that you feel that way." She looked at him inquisitively.

"Come, come, now, it is just a bit of fun, is it not? Why, my wife and I were quite the pranksters ourselves in days gone by. We were famous for it. I trust you have heard of 'A Midsummer Night's dream' recorded by the mortal known as 'Shakespeare'?"

"You mean that all really happened?" Sarah asked in shock. If that was true, then the man she was dancing with had once tricked his wife into sleeping with a clown wearing a donkey's head. Perhaps there was more to the story, she certainly hoped there was, anyway.

"Oh yes, nothing to fret about, my dear, just a bit of fun!" He laughed wildly, spinning her out before drawing her back to him.

Sarah was torn between amusement and fear, she couldn't tell if the High King was teasing her or if he was just insane. She decided that she'd rather save that discovery for later.

"It has been lovely dancing with you King Oberon, but I should go and find Jareth now, if you don't mind." She stepped deftly out of his grasp and curtsied.

"Of course, of course. I hope to see you again soon, Lady Sarah." He said with a familiar smirk and a slight bow, watching her thoughtfully as she turned and made her way through the crowd. He was sure he would be seeing more of her, if the way she and his son looked at each other was any indication. A moment later his wife appeared by his side.

"Oh, I  _do_  like her," Titania gushed.

"Yes, she is lovely, and well suited to him. I do hope he doesn't blunder it somehow, you know how brash and impulsive Jareth can be." Oberon replied, taking his wife's arm and leading her away.

"Like father, like son." The Queen replied wryly, as she began to dance with her husband. He had the good grace not to argue.

* * *

The sky was now illuminated by the brightest and most breathtaking constellations Sarah had ever seen, and several moons of various sizes and colors were rising over the mountains. Sarah wandered through the valley, trying in vain to find the King and Queen's tent and wishing she had thought to ask Oberon for directions. She made her way over to three women who were standing around a boulder that had been turned into a makeshift table that held various foods and drinks. She could see from a distance that they were very beautiful, and they were singing the most wonderful song. Sarah found herself drifting towards them as if in a dream, she was sure they could help her find… find what? She felt calm and sleepy, and thinking seemed foolish and unnecessary. No, all she needed was to be near them, then all would be well. She noticed that several others were drifting towards the singing women as well, and that the women were not fae as she had originally thought, but that didn't seem to bother her. She felt warm and safe, and was not worried in the least by how she was unexplainably drawn to them, nor was she disturbed by their long, black claws or their snake-like fangs….

Suddenly the women stopped singing and smiled silently at Sarah, watching her with a kind of childlike expectation. Sarah froze, no longer spellbound and feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her head.

' _Sirens_! What are  _sirens_  doing  _here_!?' She thought incredulously. Well wasn't this a lovely pickle she was in. She noticed the others that had been drawn in by the song were walking away now, looking either irritated or embarrassed, but surprisingly not afraid.

"Hello…" She tried politely.

"Hello!" The siren on the left said brightly, watching Sarah with a look of reptilian attentiveness. "Have some cakes my Lady? They're lemon."

Sarah blinked. The sea-demon wanted to give her lemon cakes. Okay. "Oh, no thank you, I'm actually looking for-"

"Some wine, then? It's  _elven_ , and only three coppers a cup!" Piped up the middle one, holding up a green bottle and stroking it in a manner entirely inappropriate for a bottle of wine.

"Sorry, I don't have any money-"

"You're here with the Goblin King, aren't you, my Lady? I'm sure he'd get you anything you wanted!" The first one said again with the same creepy cheerfulness, holding out a basket of her lemon cakes for inspection. Sarah paused and blinked, wondering why the pastries were shaped like male genitalia.

"Well, that's what I was trying to tell you-" She tried again.

"My, my, dearie, you're not  _lost_ , are you?" The third asked with a sweet smile, fangs glistening in the moonlight. The other two looked around for any sign of the Goblin King, then turned their crocodile eyes back on Sarah.

"No, I'm not, thank you very much." Sarah was beginning to lose her patience. "I'm sure his Highness will be pleased to hear how hospitable you were, If you could just point me to where the King's tent is?"

At this their eyes went wider still, and they glanced at each other before giving her shrewd smiles and pointing east. Sarah thanked them before starting off again, shaking her head at the strangeness of the last few hours. She made her way through a little grove of fruit trees, stopping for a few minutes to chat with some inebriated elves, who made her laugh and played her a little tune on a flute-like instrument. Leaving the grove, she finally spotted the tent, and past it dozens of dancing fae. She sighed with relief and made her way forward, not seeing the figure that followed her out from the trees.

Suddenly there was a hand clamped over her mouth and another wrapped securely around her waist. Sarah spun around and bit back a shriek as she was met with laughing mismatched eyes.

Jareth released her and put his hands up in surrender, giving her a playful smirk. Sarah stared at him in disbelief, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart, and wondered if smacking him would have any serious repercussions.

"Hello, Goblin King." She greeted him sharply once she had collected herself.

"Oh, we're back to 'Goblin King', are we? I shudder to think what exactly my mother has said to you to."

Sarah opened her mouth to call him out on his mischief but was cut off by an unexpected kiss. He moved his lips against hers slowly and gently, and when he pulled away she found that she was having a hard time staying angry.

"We need to talk." She managed.

"Of course. But first, dance with me." He grinned and pulled her past the tent and into the large group dancing between two massive bonfires to music played by a trio of elves dressed similarly to the ones she had met in the grove. She had to admit, it was a smart move of avoidance on his part, she didn't want an audience when she spoke to him about anything serious and he seemed to pick up on that. He led her around and around, pointing out various peoples of interest and telling her funny stories about them. Sarah found that she was enjoying herself despite her concerns, infuriating though he might be, the Goblin King was a very good dancer, and she couldn't have imagined a more beautiful evening. Finally, after what felt like hours, he led her over to an out of the way bench to rest for a bit, and fell silent, gazing at the nearest bonfire pensively.

Sarah decided to start. "Your mother told me what you did, what it meant to walk me down off that ledge in front of everyone. I thought we had a truce, no more pranks." She kept her voice calm and flat, but inside her mind was tumultuous. So much hinged on his answer. She honestly wasn't sure what she wanted him to say.

He studied her with a closed expression, not giving anything away. "Many of the people here are very predatory by nature. If I had waltzed you down here with no indication that you were attached or protected, they would have seen you as fair game. Who knows what might have happened."

'Well that's a political answer if I've ever heard one,' She thought wryly. She was silent for a minute, going over everything in her head, and wondering at his suddenly aloof behavior. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was nervous.

Again, she broke the silence. "So far nothing has been what I expected it to be. I had quite the little adventure while I was looking for you earlier."

Jareth smiled slightly but didn't turn towards her. "I wasn't far. You should know better by now than to expect anything here."

Sarah rolled her eyes with exasperation. "You were following me the entire time, weren't you."

At this his smile widened and he glanced at her. "I wouldn't necessarily use the term 'following', more like 'admiring from a distance'. You get on very well with the people here. Most would never take the time to be civil to the sirens."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Goblin King. And I was meaning to ask you about that. I thought sirens were Unseelie?"

"Many years ago, yes, however they switched sides in the Great War." He turned his gaze back to the distant fires, and Sarah took a moment to admire how the moonlight made his pale skin and hair glow, before prompting him to continue.

"Great war?"

He turned to face her fully, clearly pleased at her interest. "The Underground was not always as you see it now. There was the Labyrinth, the red waste, the frozen mountains and little else. There was no life other than a few Labyrinth goblins and the semi-sentient forces that ruled the land. All of these peoples used to live on the Earth." He started, gesturing widely to the population of the valley.

"In the Aboveworld, tensions had come to a boiling point between the two courts. Long had they coexisted, the Seelie roaming in the daytime, the spring, and the summer, while the Unseelie ruled the night, and the winter months. The Unseelie, led by their Queen, Mab, were not satisfied with their lot. Mab wanted to rule all of the magical creatures of the world, and so she declared war upon the Seelie King, Oberon."

"Your father?"

"Yes. One of the major points of contention between the two groups was that my father had shunned Queen Mab. She had proposed a marriage between her and Oberon as an alternative to war, but he suspected, quite reasonably in my opinion, that she plotted treachery against him, and so he refused her, repeatedly. I'm sure you've heard the saying 'hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned'?" Jareth's eyes twinkled merrily for a moment, but his expression darkened as he continued.

"You can imagine the hatred that fueled her black heart as she swore to destroy him and his people. However, her cruelty backfired, and as the years went by, more and more of her subjects defected and came over to the Seelie side, and with their help Mab and her remaining Unseelie were all but wiped from the face of the Earth. We won our peace, and the Unseelie were brought so low that they will never again be a threat."

"If the Seelie had won, why did they all come here? Why not stay on Earth, if that was their home?" Sarah asked. She was enchanted by the sound of his voice as he spoke, he told stories the way others sang songs, with feeling and power.

"The war may have seemed brief to the long-lived magical creatures that fought it, but an entire lifetime had passed for the humans that had been so often caught in the crossfires. They had come to hate and fear my kind, and so the Seelie and their allies were forced to leave the Aboveground to avoid any further bloodshed."

"So that's how the Underground came to be how it is now? These people's ancestors used their magic to make it this way?" She asked, motioning towards the life and vibrancy all around them.

"Not exactly. The Labyrinth gives gifts to those that beat it. My father, and later myself, were given some measure of authority over the Labyrinth itself and over the goblins, as well as some power over time and space. My mother was given a gift of life, which she used to make the underground hospitable. All the beauty you see around you was her doing. The mountain forests, the grassy plains, the meadows filled with wildflowers, they are her work, started a thousand years ago."

Sarah chewed on this for a bit, but before she could respond he was pulling her to her feet again and leading her away.

"Dawn is almost here," He said in answer to her questioning look. "This is the final Ostara tradition, everyone brings in the dawn together, with three joyful leaps and a dance."

Sarah looked around and saw that all across the valley, people were holding hands and facing the north, where a fiery orange light was glowing brighter and brighter behind the mountains. Jareth stood at her side, one hand entwined with hers and gaze fixed towards the coming dawn. A hush came over the valley, a peaceful, unified anticipation that filled Sarah with a foreign emotion that took her a moment to place. It was a feeling of belonging, and that shocked her more than anything else that had happened in the past 12 hours.

The light from the bonfires was suddenly diminished by the brilliance of the twin suns rising together. The valley was filled with fiery golden light and joyful cheers as the people of the Underground, Sarah and Jareth included, all jumped together three times. The musicians that dotted the valley started playing a lively tune and Sarah laughed, feeling happier than she had in a long time. She smiled at the Goblin King, who held her gaze but kept his face carefully blank, seemingly fighting some unknown emotion.

"You are enjoying all of this?" He asked.

"Dance with me some more and I'll let you know."

He laughed and took her into his arms again and led her in a slow dance, gazing at her with a kind of hesitant tenderness. "You don't have to leave, you know…"

"You promised you would take me home." Sarah's voice held a note of panic, remembering her fears from earlier. There was a moment of tense silence before he answered.

"And I will." The poor Goblin King looked utterly defeated, as if he would never be devilishly menacing again.

"Look, I want to give this a shot, but this is all just too much, too fast. Can't we just take this slow? Get to know each other? Is that alright?" She asked softly, seeking his eyes and trying to silently reassure him that this was not rejection.

He considered her for a moment and then nodded, something akin to hope in his mismatched eyes. "I can't say I'm terribly familiar with the concept, but if those are your terms for this courtship, I accept."

She relaxed, smiling again. She gasped upon noticing that they were now surrounded by little golden lights that danced around them to the rhythm of the elves music. The people around them had begun to point and stare, but the lights seemed to be harmless, happy even, if that was a term that could be used to describe a non-sentient ball of light. Sarah looked to Jareth for an explanation, but his face had gone carefully blank again, and he offered no answer.

"Do I even want to know what this is?" She asked.

"Is that your third question?" He asked, gazing at her with curiosity.

Oh well. She hadn't really expected him to be forthcoming, those moments seemed to be few and far between. "Oh no. I intend to save my last question."

He quirked his lips and made to say something snarky, but Sarah quickly reached up and silenced him with a kiss.

* * *

A world away, in the dark and gloomy depths of a seaside cave, dozens of humanoid creatures milled about, some coming and some going, all following the orders of the red haired kelpie whom they had accepted as their leader.

"Why are they even here, they are just going to draw attention. Baby-stealing is risky business these days, missing adults are far less likely to be noticed." One of the kelpies complained to her eldest sister in a bored voice, shooting a disgusted glare at the qalupaliks huddled together against a far wall, humming over their baskets and clicking their long fingernails together in a nauseating mockery of a lullaby. Their appearance was something between Darth Vader and a praying mantis, disturbing even to a monster like Rosalinn.

"We cannot afford to be picky. Be nice to them, I will not make the same mistake as mother did in driving away our allies." Lodra answered harshly. "The greater our numbers the better. Everyday our hunters bring us more humans and animals, soon we will have absorbed enough lives to be strong enough to take the Underground."

"What difference does it make, if we don't have the girl? We should hunt her down now, keep her here until we are ready!" Another sister argued rudely, sneering insolently at her sister and leader.

Lodra raised a hand and struck her across the face hard enough that she fell to the ground, and sneered at her with a red-eyed glare. "She has a guardian, you fool! Otherwise I would have captured her weeks ago! Would you have us tip our hand before we are fully strengthened, alert the Seelie to our existence before we have the power to defeat them? If you have a death wish, sister mine, I'd be more than happy to grant it for you."

The terrified girl cowered and trembled, looking up at her sister with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't question you again!"

Lodra nodded and helped her sister up with a snake-like grace. "I am glad you see sense, Aria. Have patience, we will have the girl soon enough."

The younger kelpie nodded, grateful for her sister's mercy. Their attention was drawn toward the mouth of the cave, where two selkies were dragging a man in from the water. Though half drowned and clearly exhausted from fighting, the man still screamed and struggled, swinging what looked like the remains of a fishing pole at his captors, who barely reacted to the blows.

The daughters of Mab smiled at each other before moving forward. Breakfast was served.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hee.
> 
> Hee hee.
> 
> Lemon cakes. Lemon cakes, get it?
> 
> Heeheeheeheehee!
> 
> Forgive my little giggle fit there, but I didn't even realize that I'd made a pun until I was doing the final edit. Lemon cakes, ha ha ha!
> 
> Author's Notes:
> 
> So, lots to chew on here, sorry if it was too much crammed into one chapter, but I nerded out a bit at the opportunity to write my own pseudo world history. Please review!


	13. Birthday Adventures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word of the day! *Defenestrate*   
> Means to throw someone or something out of a window. Bet you thought it meant something dirty, didn’t you?  
> How I have never seen ‘defenestration’ used in Labyrinth fanfiction before I don’t understand, but I intend to correct this grievous oversight immediately. 
> 
> This chapter takes a break from the plot for the most part, it is mostly fun and fluff with some lemon peels, enjoy.

**13: Birthday Adventures**

 

“Gives me it, idiot!” Dell grabbed the glue from Darry and went back to work, muttering darkly under her breath. “Yous wouldn’t be so fat if yous stopped eating all my supplies.”

 

Darry sulked quietly, looking balefully at the glue for a moment before reaching for the scissors instead, stepping out of Dell’s reach and watching her warily as he gnawed on them, twisting the metal and snapping pieces off with his sharp yellow teeth.

 

“Hurries up! Lady wake up soon! We needs to have everything ready!” Oog hurried around the kitchen like a demonic mother hen, checking on the others and trying to rush them along. “Is you done?” He questioned Lurk.

 

The little gray goblin hugged a paper bag from his perch on the countertop and nodded, smiling proudly.

 

“Good, good, but where is One-eye?!” Oog whispered frantically, rushing to listen at Sarah’s bedroom door before hurrying back to the others, wringing his claws in agitation.

 

“He come back soon, don’t worry, don’t worry,” Linnie smiled at Oog reassuringly as she put the finishing touches on her present, then turned to give Darry the leftover bits, batting her lashes at him.

 

Right on cue, the missing member of their crew crawled up into the open window, holding a brown bag and wearing a wide grin. He tripped on the ledge and crashed down into a sink full of dishes, holding the bag over his head to protect it. The others hushed him furiously, then they all fell absolutely silent, listening carefully for any sign that their mistress had been awakened.

 

No sound came from the bedroom, and so, reassured, they helped One-eye out of the sink and resumed preparations. Dell tore up the morning’s newspaper, scowling at the eyepatch wearing goblin for nearly ruining their mistress’s birthday surprise. It was a shame Sarah would never read the day’s headline, ‘Serial Killer Terrorizes New York Coast, 19 Dead or Missing’. It may have saved her a lot of trouble later on.

  
  
  


JSJSJSJSJSJS

  
  


Sarah groaned in discomfort as she reached behind her and pulled the crystal out from under her back. Lately, it had taken to rematerializing in her bed while she slept, something which for the sake of her sanity she tried not to put too much thought into. Setting the crystal down nearby and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Sarah slowly became aware of the upside-down dancing mop singing a few feet away. She blinked and focused, realizing that the mop was in fact Oog, and he was doing some sort of goblin jig whilst singing a queer song in what sounded vaguely like Russian. The others surrounded him, clapping and singing along to what she could only guess was some sort of goblin ‘happy birthday’ song, and they were wearing wide toothy grins and bearing gifts. Sarah watched indulgently until Oog finished with a bow and the cacophony died down, then clapped politely and thanked him for the show.

 

The goblins filed forward one by one and gave her their gifts.

 

One-eye had somehow obtained several bottles of alcohol for her, and Lurk proudly presented her with a bag containing 21 different kinds of rocks. Linnie had made her a wide brimmed hat out of shredded cereal boxes and peanut butter, and Sarah graciously tried it on, trying not to scowl at the stickiness it left in her hair. Bracing herself, she turned towards Dell and bravely accepted the shoebox that was thrust at her. She carefully removed the lid and looked inside.

 

Sarah blinked several times before lifting out a paper mache Goblin King, carefully sculpted so that he was very much anatomically correct. He was about 10 inches tall and had yellow pipe cleaners for hair and bits of gauzy cloth for clothes, but what sent Sarah’s eyebrows up into her hairline were the googly eyes (one larger than the other) and the rhinestone-studded codpiece.

 

“Um, thanks Dell, it’s um, uncanny.”

 

Dell shrugged indifferently, but Sarah noted with a grin that this was the first time the goblin had not displayed open hostility towards her. Apparently they shared an interest in a certain King, which Sarah found endlessly amusing. She turned to Darry, who was the only one who had no yet given her a gift, and waited expectantly.

 

Sarah’s eyes widened as she noticed that something was fundamentally wrong with her vision. Everything was green. Her room, her goblins, her bedding, even the

crystal-of-no-longer-dubious-but-potentially-voyeuristic-purpose and her risque paper mache Goblin King figurine now had a greenish hue. She held up green fingers and stared accusingly at Darry, who looked pleased with himself.

 

“Darry?” She asked tightly.

 

“Yous favorite color is green!” He said simply, smiling proudly.

 

Sarah let out a long-suffering sigh, wondering how to handle this delicately. “Yes, it is. How nice of you to notice.”

 

The goblin seemed gratified.

 

She continued. “But I can’t leave the house like this, people will think it strange. This isn’t New York City, after all.”

 

Darry pondered this for a moment, then said, “How’s about yous stays like this until lunch? Then, I puts everything back.”

 

Sarah thanked him and then herded them out of her room so that she could shower and get dressed. She smiled at her grass-colored reflection in the bathroom mirror as she dried her hair, this was definitely the most interesting birthday she’d ever had.

 

Pulling a pair of green pants out of her drawer, she stifled a giggle as her eyes fell on her new paper mache figurine with his googly eyes and glittering ‘crown jewels’. She would have to remember to put it away, it wouldn’t do to have the real Goblin King see it. For now she left it, along with her hat, rocks and rum, on the bed. She had made sure that Jareth didn’t know that today was her birthday, she was 21 now, and in proper American tradition, she planned to get smashed. Her and Jareth’s relationship was still new and fragile, she didn’t think adding in large amounts of alcohol would lead to anything good. Well, perhaps good was not the right term, she thought with a blush as she pulled on a green shirt, remembering his clever hands and mouth and how they promised all manner of good things.  But she certainly didn’t want to do anything she would regret. The strength of her growing feelings for the man were somewhat frightening, she didn’t want to mess up something special by being reckless.

 

Instead, she was going to have Hoggle over to drink and play cards and eat cake. She had not yet told him about her recent activities, and she knew he would not take it well. Today was a perfect day to tell him, however, it was her birthday, he couldn’t stay mad on her birthday, it simply wasn’t allowed.

 

Later, after lunch had come and gone and Sarah and her apartment had gone back to their original colors, Sarah braced herself for the inevitable confrontation and called her friend through the mirror.

  
  


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Several hours later, Sarah sat on the couch with a very drunk dwarf. It had taken some time to convince Hoggle that she was, in fact, in her right mind, and that she was not being bribed, coerced, blackmailed, or mind-controlled into courting the Goblin King. In the space of an hour, Hoggle had gone through the five stages of grief; after realizing that Sarah was acting of her own free will, he had spent a good ten minutes yelling at her. Then, after several minutes of muttering to himself and shaking his head while she sat on the couch and waited patiently, he had tried to talk her out of it. After this had failed, he had burst into tears and refused to be comforted. Now, he was in the final stage, acceptance.

 

“I s’pose if you do manage to survive him, you’d make a decent Queen. “ He said glumly, taking another swig from his flask.

 

“That’s the spirit.” Sarah rolled her eyes and helped herself to another piece of cake, grinning fondly at her moody friend.

 

“He’s like to kill me fer comin’ to see you unchaperoned, like,” He hiccuped morosely.

 

“Nonsense! Do you think I would let anything happen to my best friend?” Sarah was feeling ridiculously happy, she found that drinking agreed with her rather well.

 

“Now cheer up and deal the cards, I won't have you being so grumpy on my birthday.” She demanded.

 

Hoggle complied, and after a short while they were laughing and enjoying themselves.

  
  


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Later, after Hoggle had left, Sarah sat on her couch, staring glumly at nothing in particular. Her goblins were sprawled on the floor sleeping, she normally didn’t let them drink, finding that they were much more intelligent when sober, but today had been an exception for obvious reasons. She sighed, listening to the ticking of the wall clock and the snores of her goblins, and suddenly was overcome with sadness.

 

“It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to, cry if I want to…” She sang quietly, swaying back and forth and taking another sip from her drink. All day she had tried to focus on the positive, her goblins and their amusing presents, her friends and how much they cared for her, the phone calls and cards from her family. Still, she knew this wasn’t how most girls spent their twenty-first birthday. Most would have celebrated their coming of age with wild parties full of friends, _human_ friends, but Sarah hadn’t had any of those for a long time now. Her peers would go to bars and get the customary free birthday drink, maybe have the staff sing to them, and everyone would be glad for them. Sarah wouldn’t have any of that, her peers avoided her like the plague, and she had no idea why. This world simply didn’t want her. Making a split-second decision, Sarah stood up and said firmly, brushing tears from her eyes,

 

“I wish the goblins would come and take me away, right now!”

  
  


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The Goblin King stood from his bath, pushing his wet hair away from his face and walking across the room nude, rivulets of water snaking their way down his lean, hard body and leaving puddles on the stone floor. He waved his hand as he entered his bedchamber, instantly drying himself and the bathing room behind him. He made to walk over to his wardrobe but stopped suddenly, noticing the small goblin standing nervously in the center of the room.

 

“You have ten seconds to tell me what you’re doing in here before I defenestrate you.”

 

“There’s….wished away…...she…..” The poor creature stuttered.

 

Jareth snapped his fingers in front of his face. “My eyes are up here.” He deadpanned.

 

“Yes, majesty!” The little goblin squeaked in a terrified voice, completely forgetting his purpose and high-tailing it out of the room. Jareth rolled his eyes and proceeded to get dressed, materializing in the throne room to see what the commotion was about. Sure enough, the room was brimming with goblin chaos, as it always was when these things happened. Sometimes a child would be wished away to the goblins, with the wisher making no mention of the Goblin King, and so he would find out about it after the fact. But he saw no child, which baffled him, as the goblin had spoken of a wished away…

 

He blinked and did a double take. Yes, that was Sarah, gambling with some goblins by the window….

 

She noticed him and beamed, getting up and practically skipping over to him, holding a half-empty green bottle in one hand.

 

“Is that…” He sniffed at the fumes emanating from his lady love, who had slowed down so as to carefully step over several sleeping goblins. “Is that rum?”

 

“Yo ho ho.” She slurred as she sauntered the rest of the way over to him and plopped down next to him on the throne, turning sideways to face him and swinging her legs up to rest across his lap.

 

The Goblin King became very still, mouth slightly agape and eyes narrowing as he processed the fact that the object of his obsessions was sitting on his lap, on his throne, in his kingdom, of her own free will.

 

“You have very fluffy hair, you know.” She informed him seriously, reaching up to tug a few strands of his feathery locks, with the critical air of one examining livestock for sale.

 

He took a moment to decide how to deal with this, eyes widened slightly at her boldness, and wondering if she had somehow found out how much he liked having his hair pulled. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he eased the bottle away from her, making it discreetly disappear.

 

He decided that it wouldn’t do any harm to have a bit of fun. “I see right through your wicked plan, you know.” He said, giving her a sinful smirk.

 

Sarah giggled drunkenly and tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.

 

“You’ve come to usurp my throne and attempt to render me defenseless with your womanly wiles.” He ran his fingers along her jaw and down her neck, tracing her collarbone.

 

“Oh darn, you’ve figured me out.” Sarah replied, moving to straddle him and rub her nose against his.

 

The Goblin King was not in the mood for eskimo kisses. He grabbed her waist possessively and claimed her mouth, pressing his lips to hers firmly. One hand knotted itself in her hair and he deepened the kiss, nipping at her lower lip until she opened to him. They continued to kiss passionately for a few minutes, Sarah oblivious to the goblins gawking at them, and Jareth indifferent.

 

Sarah finally pulled away from him to catch her breath, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him back.

 

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me precious?” Her eyes widened as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, letting her feel _exactly_ what she was doing to him. “You tell me you want things between us to progress slowly, and yet here you are, driving me to distraction. Your words say one thing, your body language another. Which shall I listen to?” He began to kiss along her neck.

 

Sarah, however, had become distracted. “Are we in the Underground?”

 

Jareth pulled back and stared at her speechlessly for a moment before closing his eyes and bowing his head in defeat.

 

“How’d we get here?” She asked in drunken confusion, twisting to look around.

 

Jareth inhaled sharply at her squirming and looked up, lips drawn up in a thin line. The short attention span had been adorable at first, now he was getting exasperated. “You wished yourself away, I imagine. That would explain why they are all here, rather than your own goblins.” He said tightly, motioning to the abundance of goblins in the throne room and exhaling slowly to calm himself. “Why did you wish yourself here?” He asked curiously. She was ordinarily so cautious about coming here. “You could have just called for me.”

 

Sarah’s expression saddened. “I’m not sure. I guess I just wanted someone to sing me ‘Happy Birthday’.”

 

Jareth lifted her chin with a finger. “What do you mean? Is today your birthday?”

 

Sarah nodded.

 

“And this is a special day for you?”

 

“Yes. Well, it’s ‘spose to be.” She made a face.

 

Jareth looked at her quizzically. When one lived for millennia, age became somewhat meaningless, and for most of those who lived in the Underground, their birthday was just another day. Clearly this was not the case with humans. He did a quick calculation in his head.

“You are twenty one today, aren’t you? Is there some special significance in that?”

 

“Twenty one is the legal drinking age. Now I’m an adult in the Above.”

 

Jareth snorted. “Leave it to humans to signify maturity by drinking oneself into a stupor.”

 

Sarah scowled and jumped off his lap. “Fine, if you won’t sing for me, I’ll have the goblins do it!” She pranced to the center of the room, standing on the edge of the circular pit in the floor, and calling the attention of the bewildered goblins and equally inebriated goblins. After discovering that they didn’t know how the song went, she began to instruct them in the verses. The goblins grimaced and covered their ears, but Sarah took no notice, singing and spinning herself around until she dissolved into a fit of giggles.

 

Jareth leaned back and enjoyed the show. It wasn’t exactly the stuff fantasies were made of, but it was still strangely appealing. He had never seen her like this, so uninhibited. He savored it, burning the sound of her laughter into his memory.

 

Coming back to her senses, Sarah looked up in time to see the last of the goblins fleeing the throne room, still covering their ears.

 

“Oh, _that’s_ just rude! And you, you aren’t allowed to laugh at me on my birthday, king or no!” She frowned and stumbled back over to the throne, pointing a finger at Jareth, who was trying to stifle his chuckles.

 

He reached forward and pulled her back into his lap. “Forgive me, love, I greatly appreciate you clearing them all out.”

 

Sarah continued to pout. “My singing isn’t that bad, is it?”

 

“ _I_ appreciate your voice, precious, but I am afraid goblins are just not refined enough to enjoy it as they should.”

 

“Hmmm. That is probable the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard.” Sarah slurred, poking him in the chest and attempting to look stern and discerning. “I thought you couldn’t lie.” She rested her head against his shoulder, eyes beginning to drift shut.

 

“I’m not lying. I love your voice.”

 

“Do you?” She murmured drowsily.

 

“Yes. And I love your laughter.”

 

“Hmmm.” Sarah snuggled closer to him and he put his arm around her. He stroked her hair for a few minutes, listening to her breathing even out.

 

“I love your imagination, your boldness, your compassion.”

 

He looked down at the girl sleeping in his arms and brushed his lips lightly against her forehead.

 

“I love _you_.”

  
Sarah gave no answer, for she was gone to dreamland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww. Ain’t that sweet. The memory’s a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how my 21st birthday went, too. 
> 
> Things will be getting a bit more serious from here on out (wipe that look off your face, I am too capable of being serious) so I thought I’d put in a fun, fluffy chapter first.
> 
> Review or I’ll make a love triangle between Jareth, Sarah, and Dell the goblin!
> 
> .........
> 
> “Happy birthday, Majesty,” Dell cooed with a simpering smile, giving Jareth a shiny black bag and watching him with expectant, adoring eyes.
> 
> Jareth reached into the bag and pulled out a pair of black leather undergarments, studded all over with multi-colored rhinestones. He raised his eyebrow at the little goblin and smiled indulgently, leaning close and whispering, “Would you like to see me in these, Nell?”
> 
> Dell’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open and closed several times as she tried to regain the power of speech. “Will she be there?” She finally spat out venomously.
> 
> Jareth laughed. “Come now, there’s no reason to pretend to hate her. I know how you truly feel about Sarah.” 
> 
> Dell blushed, her warped face turning a darker than normal shade of gray.
> 
> The Goblin King smiled a wicked smile.


	14. Things Are Not Always What They Seem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14: Things Are Not Always What They Seem
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth. I do not own Sarah, Jareth, or Jareth's pants (pity, that). I do not own the Loch Ness Monster. I do own a bikini, even though all it does is sit in my drawer and taunt me.
> 
> Author's note: Upping the rating to M just to be on the safe side, no sexytimes yet.
> 
> Thank you 3iggy for being my beta!

 

Sarah groaned and turned over in bed, pulling the crystal out from under her back and putting it next to the other one on the pillow.

"Oh, my head…." She moaned.

She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples, trying to think through the pounding headache she had woken up with.

"I'll never drink again…"

Her eyes snapped open in horror as the events of the previous evening came back to her. Wishing herself away, singing and dancing like an idiot, coming on to the Goblin King… Sarah looked around in mild panic, relieved and somewhat surprised to find that she was in her own bed in her apartment, alone. She peeked under the covers, yep, still fully dressed. Had it all just been some bizarre rum-induced dream?

Suddenly she remembered the  _two_  crystals sitting on her pillow. She checked again, reaching out to feel them. Yep, definitely two. At her touch, one of them turned into a small glass bottle full of an iridescent blue liquid with a tag around the neck that said ' _drink me_ ' in elegant loopy handwriting.

"Oh, yeah, that's not the least bit suspicious." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm. However, curiosity soon got the better of her, and she uncorked the bottle and took a tentative sip. She instantly began to feel better, and soon had downed the whole bottle, encouraged as her hangover abated with every sip. Smiling, she went to set down the little bottle only to find that it had changed shape again. She now held a tiny scroll of paper in her palm, tied up with a blue ribbon. Untying and unrolling it, she read the message:

_Good morning, precious._

_Get dressed and call me when you are_

_ready, I have a surprise for you._

_\- with love,_

_Jareth_

Sarah lay still for a minute, grinning like an idiot and staring at the note. Particularly that last little bit. She jumped out of bed and hurriedly showered and dressed in a new pair of blue jeans and an emerald green tank top, humming to herself and wondering what surprise might be in store for her today. After giving the goblins orders to stay out of trouble, she stood in the middle of her tiny living room, taking a deep breath and steadying her voice as she called out.

"Jareth?"

"Sarah." A voice dark with amusement breathed into her ear.

Sarah jumped and whirled around, hand flying to her chest as she tried to still her racing heart. Jareth stood there smirking. He wore a billowing white poet's shirt that seemed to be more open-necked than usual, revealing a mouthwatering slice of pale, lightly muscled chest. This was paired with brown leather boots and grey snakeskin breeches that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

"Do you  _have_  to scare me every time?" She asked with exasperation, trying to keep her eyes on his and not let them drop down lower. His ensemble was doing nothing to slow her pulse.

"It's part of my charm." He purred smugly, smirking at her.

"Someone should probably tell you what 'charm' is," Sarah said sarcastically.

The Goblin King was not amused. "Come now, Sarah, you seemed plenty charmed last night." His smirk could have put the devil himself to shame, and Sarah blushed furiously as she tried to think of something clever to say.

He spared her the trouble as he moved forward quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and speaking with his mouth by her ear. "Why do you resist me?" He said seductively, hot breath ghosting against her neck. "You could have  _everything_  you want, if only you would let me-"

"-Rule me? Come on Jareth, this day started out so well what with the chivalry and hangover potion, please, don't." She pushed away from him and met his heated gaze with her own fearless defiance. For a long moment they both stood there, staring intently at one another, the tension palpable in the air. Sarah bit her lip nervously, wondering if she had gone too far. The unspoken power struggle between them was like an impenetrable wall between them, one they had both been trying to ignore, though it was getting harder to do so. Finally Jareth's eyes softened, and Sarah let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

He gestured around them. "What do you think?"

Sarah was so fixated on Jareth that she hadn't even noticed that they were no longer in her apartment. They stood on what appeared to be an island in the middle of a huge lake. The turquoise waters all around them reflected the bright, cloudless sky as they lapped gently against the sheer face of the rocky, moss covered ledge they stood near, which rose about two feet above the water. Looking around, Sarah saw that the island was circular, flat, and about 100 feet across. Thick, lush green moss covered every bare surface, and there were many flowering bushes filling the clear air with their heavy perfume as well, and even a few twisted trees to lend shade. It was heavenly.

"It's beautiful here. Where are we?" She asked in an awed tone.

"Loch Aonaranachd*. Goblins are deathly afraid of water, you see, so this is one of the only places where I am sure not to be disturbed. I come here occasionally to think."

"This is in the Labyrinth?" She asked doubtfully.

"No, but it is in my Kingdom. That end of the lake there is about 50 miles from the Labyrinth's border." He said, pointing towards a distant shore. Sarah squinted, barely able to make out a wild-looking forest through the warm, sleepy haze that seemed to hover over the lake's surface.

Turning back around, Sarah was surprised to find that Jareth was suddenly wearing nothing more than tight fitting swimming trunks, and a wide grin. Feeling a breeze, Sarah looked down and discovered that her clothes were gone and she was now wearing a tiny black bikini.

"Jareth! Don't do that!" She exclaimed, trying with her arms to cover what the skimpy swimsuit did not.

"What? Isn't this the customary Aboveground swimwear?" He asked in mock innocence, motioning between the two of them.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, but before she could object she was stopped by Jareth, whose face had suddenly become serious and concerned, fixed on something behind her.

"Oh dear, what is that?" He murmured.

Confused, Sarah turned to look, only to squeal in surprise as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the water with him as he leapt forward off the ledge.

Sarah surfaced from the lake and splashed at the laughing Goblin King.

"That was not funny!"

"Oh, yes it was. I had no idea you could make such an adorable squealing noise. I wonder what other noises I can get you to make." He gave her a wicked grin.

"I am going to get you back for that." She warned him, smiling despite herself at his antics. It was almost surreal to see the Goblin King act so playful, and while she certainly took issue with his methods, she couldn't deny that she was curious to see what he might do next. Perhaps she was being foolish, but he was unpredictable and dangerous, and she was intoxicated by him. The rest could be dealt with later.

"I hope so." His strange eyes flashed at her before he sunk down beneath the surface, disappearing from sight.

Sarah treaded water and waited, looking around as the water rippled silently, but he did not resurface. Growing wary, she was just about to make for the ledge when something grabbed her leg. She gasped, expecting to be pulled under, but the hold on her was gentle, soothing, it loosened its hold and began stroking her ankle while supporting her just enough that she was able to stay afloat with just her arms. Soon she felt another hand on her other ankle, light fingers caressing her under the water. Sarah licked her lips, undecided as to what to do. It was maddening not to be able to see him, to anticipate his next move, to be able to respond in any way. The skilled fingers began drawing lazy circles up her calves, one hand firmly gripped her knee, and suddenly she felt lips press lightly on her stomach, causing her to jerk back in surprise and look down, trying to see him despite the sun's bright reflection on the water's surface.

As he held her knee, trying to move her upper body back caused her lower half to move forward, and her eyes widened as Jareth took it in stride, lips sliding down her abdomen only to disappear as they reached the waistband of her bikini bottom. The hands however, slid confidently up her thighs with splayed fingers and scorching palms, coming to rest on her hips. Sarah felt a warmth spread through her that only increased in intensity as he surfaced in front of her and she saw the heat in his eyes. Sarah vaguely registered that the current had carried them a short distance, and felt the solidness of a sandbar beneath her feel.

Sarah was flushed with desire and embarrassment, no one had ever touched her like this, and she was conflicted on what to do next. She wanted this man, this king before her, but this didn't feel like the right time, there was still so much unsaid between them. She was shocked out of her thoughts as one of his hands began gliding up her abdomen. She reacted without thinking, grabbing his hands by the wrists and crossed them over his chest and held them there as she glared at him, trying not to show how flustered she really was.

She needed time to think this through before it went any further." Did you plan this whole thing for you, or for me? I'm starting to wonder what you meant by 'surprise'." She teased.

He smirked and raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Well, this is our  _third date_ , and, if I am not mistaken, Aboveworld customs dictate that we-"

_Why that presumptuous,-_ "-And I feel  _I_  should mention," Sarah interrupted indignantly, flushed with embarrassment at his implication, and started swimming away from him and back toward the little island, "-that you named this thing we're doing  _courting,_   **not**  dating. I believe the rules for that are relatively conservative." She shot him a tight smirk as she climbed back onto the mossy ledge, swaying her hips spitefully as she walked away from him. Sarah jumped as he appeared in front of her, dripping wet and giving her a smoldering look. She gulped as he advanced on her, feeling her resolve melting. Why did he have to look so damn delicious?

"What happened to you being a gentleman?" She tried jokingly, hoping to defuse some of the tension between them.

He shook his head. "Not really my cup of tea, love." He stopped less than a foot in front of her and twirled a strand of her wet hair in his fingers, blue eyes glinting with mischief.

"Well, I think you wear it well. Your little act of chivalry nearly had me swooning this morning, you know. I could do with more of that." She teased, giving him a smirk of her own.

Jareth fixed her with a dark look and said matter-of-factly, "I don't want you swooning. I want you moaning."

And with that he was kissing her, taking advantage of her open-mouthed shock to enter her mouth and run his tongue against hers in a slow and sensual dance. Somehow they ended up on the soft mossy ground, with Jareth above her, arms caged around her head. She ran her hands down his bare back, relishing the feel of his smooth warm skin. He lowered himself a bit and Sarah moaned into his mouth as she felt the evidence of his desire against her leg. Jareth began placing hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck and Sarah closed her eyes and let her head fall back to give him better access, trying not to think on whether this was a good idea or not, knowing she should stop him and yet not wanting him to.

Suddenly, from not too far away, there was an echoing cry, like a whale call. Sarah's eyes shot open and her head turned in the direction of the sound as whatever it was cried out again.

"What was that sound?" She pushed on Jareth's shoulders, trying to get his attention.

"Don't worry about it. It's just you and me for miles around, well, and the monster, but she'll keep her distance." He murmured distractedly, fiddling with the strings that fastened her top.

"Monster? What monster!?" Sarah exclaimed in alarm, pushing him off of her and scrambling to her feet, looking around as if expecting a dragon to swoop down and snatch them up any moment.

Jareth groaned and rolled onto his stomach, resting his head in his hands for a moment, willing his body to calm down and wishing he had thought of something better to say.

"Well? You can't just say something like that and not tell me more."

Jareth looked up and met her concerned expression, then, sighing heavily in resignation, he stood and walked to the water's edge.

Smiling back at her over his shoulder, Jareth turned towards the water, put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. At first, nothing happened, but then Sarah noticed ripples in the water about a quarter mile out. The ripples rapidly grew closer and closer until they were only a hundred or so feet away. Sarah gasped as a sleek gray head broke the surface followed by a long, sinewy neck that rose out of the water as the creature approached. The snake-like head and neck were connected to a massive, elephant-sized body that was just visible beneath the surface as the creature came to a stop about 10 feet from the ledge.

"Meet Nessie!" Jareth said.

" _Nessie_? As in, the Loch Ness Monster?" Sarah said incredulously, torn between wonder and terror, all lingering thoughts of their previous activities pushed from her mind.

"The very same. She was wished away to me some 150 years ago by a Scottish fisherman who blamed her for eating his catch. Naturally, I felt it was unwise to turn something this size into a goblin, so I put her here. She seems happy, and has the added benefit of keeping anyone else from ever using my lake. I have most of the people around here convinced that she is a vicious beast." He told her with a roguish wink.

"And is she?" Sarah asked curiously.

He gave her a mysterious smirk. "Come here."

Sarah walked forward slowly, taking Jareth's hand and keeping her eyes on the creature before them, who watching her with equal interest. Jareth put his other hand out, and Nessie laid her enormous head on the ledge at their feet. Jareth placed her hand on the monster's head and guided it across the smooth skin, causing the monster to close her enormous round black eyes and emit a deep rumble that made the ground beneath their feet shake slightly.

"Not all is as it seems." He told her with a smile, letting go of her hand, and brushing his lips against her bare shoulder.

Sarah laughed in wonder and delight, rubbing Nessie's slippery snout as she continued to rumble contentedly. Suddenly, Nessie lifted her massive head and began to move, and Sarah and Jareth barely had a moment to react before the monster rolled over onto her back, sending a huge wave crashing over them and knocking them to the ground. Sputtering and disoriented, Jareth helped her up and they both wiped the water from their eyes and looked over at the enormous gray belly pressed up against the ledge, laughing again as Nessie's head reappeared and she made an insistent crooning sound.

"You are the most spoiled creature in this kingdom, you know that?" Jareth chastised the monster, turning to Sarah. "She won't leave now until she's had her belly scratched."

"You've got to be kidding me," Sarah shook her head, laughing in disbelief at the bizarre scene before her as she watched the King of the Goblins scratch the Loch Ness Monster's belly. Nessie rumbled happily, causing the ground to shake slightly beneath their feet. After a minute, content that she had gotten what she wanted, Nessie moved away from the ledge and disappeared beneath the surface.

Jareth turned to Sarah and flashed a smile. "Maybe next time I can get her to give you a ride."

"Next time?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Aye, next time. I do believe that you have been thoroughly charmed, despite us being interrupted. You look happier than a dwarf with a barrowful of plastic. Do you deny it?" He said smugly, running a finger up her arm and tracing her collarbone before tilting her chin up so that she met his eyes.

"No. This has all been amazing, thank you." She answered honestly. She reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a brief, sweet kiss.

She drew back and contemplated him for a moment, her heart battling with her mind. The words were right there on her lips, those three little words that would change everything. But Sarah knew that with him, there would be no going back, no holding back, he would demand all of her, body, heart, and soul. She no longer doubted her feelings, but the idea of taking that next step was terrifying. She loved him, yes, but she didn't trust him, not completely, despite the time they had spent together, she felt like she still knew so little about him. And despite his persistence that she stay with him, he had never clearly articulated his feelings or plans towards her, other than his obvious physical desires. And that uncertainty made all the difference. If she gave him her heart, he would have the power to hurt her in a way no one else ever could. So she continued to keep him at a distance, waiting for some sign, something that would wipe away her doubts.

Sarah glanced at the sky, noticing that the suns were nearing the horizon. "It's getting late. I should get back." She was feeling more conflicted than ever, she needed time alone to think.

"Why ever would you need to do that?" He gave her a roguish smirk and put his hands on her hips possessively. "You know you don't ever have to leave..." His voice was haughty and smug, as if he was already assured of his victory.

Sarah bit back a sigh of frustration, putting up her hands to keep him from coming any closer. Why did it always come back to this? "Jareth, this has been lovely, but I would like to go home now. I have classes in the morning."

He kept on smirking smugly, bringing one of his hands up to where hers rested on his chest, taking one of her small hands in his and using his thumb to stroke the inside of her wrist.

"You don't need any of that, you know, it's just a waste of time. I will teach you everything you need to know once you accept your place here…."

She stepped away from him. "You promised you wouldn't stop me from leaving." She reminded him shortly.

"I'm not stopping you, I'm hindering you, there's a difference." Jareth smirked, reaching out for her again, clearly amused.

Sarah was getting angry. "Oh, you and your stupid fine print. Is anything  _not_  a game to you?"

Jareth scoffed, irritated. "That is the nature of my kind. Consider it a compliment that I find you worth the effort."

Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. "Well it's the nature of  _my_  kind to expect honesty in a relationship-"

He cut her off with a short, derisive laugh. "Come now, precious. You speak of honesty, why don't you say what you really feel about being in the Underground? Admit that you have considered it your home since Ostara. I have seen how you have no friends in your world, how they shun you, they have for years."

"How would you know? Have you been spying on me?" She said, hurt.

It was more of an accusation than a question, one that he did not deny. Sarah hadn't really been expecting that. She was so on edge emotionally at this point that it seemed a far worse crime than it actually was.

"Third question, Goblin King, have you been spying on me?" She asked.

He scowled, angry that she would use her last question for this, but he was obligated to answer. "I have been watching you since before you ran my Labyrinth, preparing you when I could, sending you toys and books that would help you when the time came. I knew from the moment I saw you in the park that you were different, special, that I wanted you to be mine one day."

Her eyes blazed as she finally let loose, using all of her willpower to keep her voice calm. "Look, I've tried to give this a shot, but you have tried to deceive me at every turn, and now I find you've been spying on me? For  _years_? Interfering in my life and trying to control me? You have only been straightforward with me  _three times_ , and those were part of a  _deal_! Perhaps it's unfair of me to expect otherwise, but I had hoped that this would be more than a game to you."

The Goblin King made no answer, just stood there glowering ominously. What was wrong with her? Couldn't she see what he was offering?

"I wish you would take me back to my apartment,  _right now._ " She said.

They promptly reappeared in her living room amidst a swirl of angry black glitter, the both of them fully clothed once more. The goblins took one look at the king's expression and scurried to the back of the apartment.

Sarah and Jareth glared at each other for a moment before the silence was broken by the doorbell.

Sarah unlocked the door and peeked out to find her lab partner, Gary, standing impatiently on the porch. Gary was a short, gossipy, sullen boy who was just as much of a loner as Sarah, they had ended up as chemistry partners for the sole reason that no one else wanted to pair with either of them. She had forgotten that she had invited him over to discuss their joint project today.

"I'm sorry Gary, now's  _really_ not a good time." Sarah said apologetically.

Gary looked ready to say something unpleasant, but stopped upon hearing the audible growl from behind Sarah. He took a second look at her, noting how visibly upset she was.

"You okay Williams? You don't look so great-"

"I'm fine, just-" Sarah tried in vain to stop him as he pushed open the door, eyes bulging as he took in the sight of the Goblin King in full regalia.

" _What the flying fu_ -"

Jareth curled his lip in distaste and waved his hand, turning the unfortunate young man into a small, black toad, that hopped away quickly.

Sarah spun around, pulling off a rather impressive ominous glower of her own.

"Great, you just cost me my lab partner! And now people are going to think I'm more of a freak than they already do."

Jareth simply shrugged this off. "You don't belong in this world, you never did. Come back with me-"

"So says YOU! That is  _my_  choice to make, and  _mine_  alone!"

"You  _impossible_  woman-" He was clearly having a hard time maintaining his facade of control.

"I think we should take a break." Sarah said suddenly.

The Goblin King's expression grew cold and his voice became terrifyingly quiet. "Explain your meaning."

Sarah focused on keeping her voice calm and steady. "I don't want to see you, not for a while, at least. I think you should leave, now."

For the first time since he had come back into her life, Sarah was truly afraid of the Goblin King. She shivered as the temperature of the room dropped several degrees and the sun seemed to die behind the menacing black clouds that rapidly filled the sky outside, making the unlit apartment dark and gloomy. His body was rigid and his eyes were cruel chips of ice, but his face was eerily calm, holding no recognizable emotion. She had no idea what to expect from him, so she waited where she was, one hand on the doorknob, hardly daring to breath as she waited for him to respond.

When he finally spoke, his voice was dark and his words held a threat. "This is not over."

Sarah refused to be cowed, there was no backing down now. "Yes, I'm afraid it is. If I can't trust you, then there is nothing more to say." She said as gently as she could.

Jareth continued as if she hadn't spoken. "If you think to dismiss me so easily, you are very much mistaken."

He gave her no chance to respond, fading from the room as if he had never been there.

Sarah waited a few minutes to be sure he was really gone, then sunk down to her knees, covering her face with her hands and wondering how everything had gone so wrong so quickly.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes:
> 
> Oh joy, get ready for character development. It's a necessary evil. It's both their faults, really. Jareth is too arrogant, pushy, and misleading, and Sarah is too distrustful, self-absorbed, and prejudiced.
> 
> I'm sorry if this chapter seemed somewhat unbalanced, but I got it in my head that I just HAD to have the Loch Ness Monster in the story, and this was the only place where that was even remotely plausible. Besides, I like the idea of Jareth keeping a mythical monster as a pet.
> 
> * Loch Aonaranachd: translates to 'Lake of Solitude'. I know, terribly creative of me.
> 
> Oh, and don't worry about what's-his-face. The toad curse will wear off in a few hours, probably in a terribly impractical place. Poor kid will forever be terrified of men in tight pants. Such a pity.
> 
> Please review! I really appreciate your support and feedback, and I'll try to reply to everyone promptly.


	15. I'm Here Without You Baby

Jareth made his way slowly through the richly dressed mass of dancers and revelers, giving those who reached out for his attention a polite but dismissive smile. He was searching for someone in particular, and would not be swayed from his purpose.

His eyes skimmed over the crowds as he made his way to the far corners of the room, finally finding who he was looking for standing against a marble wall, surveying the room with the kind of superior indifference that is indicative of royalty.

His father was the only person he knew who had successfully courted a human woman without having to resort to kidnapping, trickery, or manipulation. Perhaps he would have some valuable advice on how to salvage the situation with Sarah. The prospect of involving his family did not please him, but he was desperate. He made his way over to the High King, leaning against the wall a few feet away from him.

The two men stood silently side by side, staring unseeingly out into the sea of dancers. Jareth wore a jacket of red velvet and trousers of tight black leather, Oberon loose-fitting sky blue silk robes embroidered with emerald vines and golden leaves to match his crown. Oberon spoke first.

"What, no pink armor today?"

Jareth narrowed his eyes, but otherwise kept his face indifferent. "Where did you hear about that?"

Oberon chuckled. "Your goblins are rather talkative when given sugary sweets. You should be more careful about that."

"You're worse than Sarah." Jareth said.

"Ah, yes, the lovely Sarah. Does she accompany you tonight?" He finally turned his head to look at Jareth.

Jareth bowed his head and drew his lips in a tight line, wondering how to start. "Actually, that's what I came here to talk to you about-"

"Oh, tell me you didn't botch it?" The High King said huffily. Jareth's dark expression confirmed his suspicions. "Well, that's a shame. I liked her. Your mother is going to skin you alive, you know, she's been talking nonstop about the girl since Ostara, she's even started knitting  _baby_  hats. It's been unbearable."

Jareth sighed in irritation, shooting his father a side-long look. "It's not like I  _planned_  for it to go wrong! She is impossible to understand, I had hoped you might be able to give me some insight. I have no intention of letting her go." He finished, his expression hardening.

Oberon smiled in approval, motioning for his son to follow him as he made his way towards the privacy of a curtained balcony. "Come, tell me all, maybe we can fix this before your mother finds out."

"Before I find out what?" Came a wry feminine voice from behind them.

Both men froze, turning around stiffly to face the High Queen, both looking more like naughty children caught stealing cookies than like the arrogant kings that they were.

Oberon recovered first, coming to stand by his wife's side, facing Jareth. "Yes, do tell, Jareth." He said, fixing his face to appear serious and interested, though his blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

Jareth let out a defeated sigh, and, after leading them onto the balcony and ensuring that they would not be overheard, told the whole story, starting from when the goblins went missing, to the last disastrous meeting with Sarah a few days ago.

"Tell me you at least left her some protection!" His mother said.

"Yes, she has a tracking crystal that will alert me to any danger- Mother, what are you doing?"

Titania grabbed a bouquet of orchids from a nearby table and began whacking Jareth about the shoulders and head with them. "What. Were. You. Thinking!?" She said, punctuating each word with a whack of the bouquet.

"Titania, I really don't think this behavior is fitting of the High Queen-" Oberon said from a safe distance.

"Oh?" She spun around and glared at him. "And was your son's behavior fitting of the Goblin King?" She pointed her flowers at Jareth as she turned on him again.

"I honestly don't know why Sarah put up with you as long as she did, you've been an  _idiot_!" She said, punctuating the last word with another swipe of her orchids, which Jareth blocked with his arms, sending petals flying. He looked to his father for aid, but Oberon had retreated to the curtain, where he stood smirking silently, giving his son an unhelpful shrug of his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked, confused. "I have given her gifts, I have made her promises, I have declared my intentions before the whole  _world_ -"

"Yes, you have given her a perfect fae courtship. But she is  _not_  fae, she is human, and you should count your lucky stars that she hasn't banished you from her life completely! Many of the things you have done are  _illegal_  in her world, did you know that?" Titania raged.

Jareth scoffed. "What does that matter? I am not of that world-"

"But she  _is_ , and it clearly matters to her. Did you ever stop to think of it that way?" She said, chocolate eyes imploring him to understand.

Jareth said nothing, his mother's words striking him. He hadn't, and now he felt very uncomfortable. He thought back to the beautiful, innocent girl who had run his Labyrinth, how he had botched it then, had failed to make her understand his intentions. He had gotten carried away back then, and he had repeated the same mistakes this time as well.

"You must go to her and apologize, and be completely open and honest with her from now on. A human woman will not trust someone who keeps things from her. She will not believe that you sincerely care for her if you continue to play games." His mother said, dropping the ruined bouquet and trying to meet her son's gaze.

Jareth stared at the floor, unwilling to admit the truth in her words, and not entirely sure how to, either.

"Mother, father, thank you for your words, I will consider them. I bid you a good evening." He bowed to his father and kissed the back of his mother's hand briefly, his movements strained. Then he turned before anything more could be said, jumping from the ledge and vigorously beating his wings against the cold bite of the night air, seeking refuge from his tumultuous thoughts through flight, through the simplicity his mind felt whilst in owl form. Tomorrow he would have much to think on, but tonight, tonight he would fly.

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Sarah rushed forward, stepped over a sleeping goblin, and grabbed her oven mitts, pulling out yet another tray of m&m cookies. Baking was therapeutic, and her flat smelt like heaven. She carefully moved them to cool on a rack, making room on her counter amidst the m&m brownies, m&m cupcakes, m&m cookies, and various other baked goods that she had made over the last few days. Nearly every surface in her apartment held a tray or bowl of goodies, but she couldn't stop, she had to keep her hands busy, keep her mind off of things. If Jareth was watching, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her crying over a tub of ice-cream.

The goblins had been more than happy with how their mistress chose to deal with her heartache, and had been doing little else than eating and sleeping for the last few days. After the last batch of m&m brownies they had all fallen asleep on the kitchen floor, full and happy. Sarah smiled down at them, wondering what she should bake for them next. Muffins, maybe? Or perhaps a layer cake. Regardless, she would have to go to the store first and get more eggs and flour. And more m&ms.

Quietly, she grabbed her keys and snuck out of the house, careful not to wake any of the goblins. She hopped in the car and turned up the music as loud as it would go, singing along and pointedly ignoring the ever present crystal in the cupholder as she drove down the road. Sarah had never been terribly good at dealing with issues that came up in her life. When her mother had left, Sarah had refused to admit that anything was wrong at all, she had coped by idolizing her mother and making excuses for her behavior, never blaming her, never grieving her loss. Now, she refused to acknowledge her heartache. She refused to think about the Goblin King, his crystal, his words, or any feelings she may or may not have had for him. She would sing, she would bake, she would live her life and everything would be fine. Even if it wasn't.

Lurk rubbed his eyes, sitting up from where he had been sleeping under the table. He looked around, feeling something strange in his tummy. It wasn't the Lady's sweeties, no, this was the squirmy feeling you got in your tummy right before something bad was going to happen. He closed his eyes, feeling for the Lady with his magic. His eyes opened again, this time wide in alarm. Lady was not here, but something else was! He made himself invisible, just as a loud scuffle broke out in the kitchen.

Sarah pulled up to the curb and got out, locking the car doors and hauling the groceries up the steps to her door.

"Hey guys, I'm home!" She called out, kicking the door shut behind her. "What do you think, m&m muffins or-" She dropped her bags and froze upon seeing the state of her apartment. The kitchen was trashed, broken dishes and food littered the floor, the table and chairs had been overturned and her couch had a large tear in it. She stood very still for a moment, all her senses on high alert, until she was sure whatever had done this was gone.

"Oog? Darry, Linnie, Dell?" She called out quietly, digging her pepper spray out of her pocket and holding it at the ready as she slowly searched the apartment. "Lurk, One-eye? Come on guys, you can come out now-"

She jumped and then exhaled in relief as something small and gray collided with her shin, hugging her tightly.

She crouched down. "Lurk, what happened? Where are the others?" She noticed that the little goblin was trembling and looked absolutely terrified. He took her by the hand and led her over to the front door, pointing to an ancient looking wooden box that Sarah had not seen when she had first come in. It was about the size of a shoebox, perfectly square, and made of dark wood. Strange symbols that looked like ancient runes were carved all over the box and its lid. Sarah noticed a scrap of old-fashioned looking paper nailed to the lid. She worked it free carefully, so as not to destroy whatever message was written inside. She glanced nervously at Lurk, who was watching her apprehensively. She unfolded the paper to reveal a few lines scratched out in a reddish-brown flaky ink that looked suspiciously like blood.

_Girl- put your tracking sphere in the box and come to Rocky Neck beach at midnight tomorrow,_ _ without _ _your guardian. Tell no one. Do as you're told and your little pets will live. Fail to cooperate, and they'll all die._

Sarah stared at the note for a long moment without moving, before tossing it aside and reaching out to carefully open the box. The inside was nothing remarkable, just rough, unfinished wood to the inexperienced eye. But Sarah had seen enough of magic by now to recognize it, though this magic felt wrong somehow, unwholesome. She looked at Lurk again.

"Go to the Underground, you'll be safe there. Don't come after me, I have to do this alone." She said.

Lurk shook his head, eyes wide and shining, glancing from his Lady to the box, silently urging her not to do it. Sarah's lips tightened in a hard line. "Do as I say,  _right now._  I'm sorry, I have to protect you, Lurk. And I have to try and save the others."

At this clearly spoken order, the goblin had no choice but to obey, giving Sarah a despairing look as he stepped onto the path and vanished.

Sarah turned back to the box, steeling her resolve. She sorted through the nearby scattered groceries until she found the crystal. Taking a deep breath, she placed it in the box and closed the lid. Nothing happened, but somehow Sarah knew that it wouldn't be leaving that box to trail her this time.

She grabbed her keys and left before she could change her mind, not once looking back.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat Important Announcement!
> 
> Because everyone hates cliffhangers and this part of the story doesn't have much comedy in it, I made you sumthin speshul.
> 
> As of 5/21/15, there is a Sarah/Gollum mini-fic added to the end of the author's notes of chapter eight of this story (didn't fit here, seeing as I'm attempting to be serious and stuff), go check it out. It's important, 'cause it is related to the ridiculousness I am putting at the end of next chapter. Enjoy!


	16. The BFW

Lodra reclined uncomfortably on her makeshift throne of piled boulders and rough driftwood, pale features and crimson hair barely visibly by the single torch that lit the small, dripping side cavern deep within the main cave where her army was gathered. She thought on her many plans, idly picking flesh out from under her fingernails as she watched her captives with a bored expression. She had just been informed by one of her servants that the girl was on her way, and was coming alone, as instructed. By tomorrow night, she would have the last piece of the puzzle. She would finally be able to lead her family, her people, to a new and brighter future. In a clean world, free of human pollution, they would once again thrive.

And she would have her revenge. Most of her sisters had been very young when their mother had been murdered, but Lodra had been the oldest, had been old enough to remember. She had lost everything, she had still been only a child, yet was forced to run, to hide in the most disgusting and deplorable places. They had been forced to feed off of the worst sort of people, fishermen and hobos, whereas before they had always been treated to the best. She had been a princess, had the world at her feet, but when Queen Mab had fallen, the remaining Unseelie had scattered, and she and her sisters hadn't had a friend in the world. Their fathers had all been uncaring monsters, not fit to raise children, and now their mother was dead, and they were alone. With the Seelie in power, no one wanted to be associated with them, not anymore.

For centuries, she had scraped by, fighting hard to earn the loyalty of the creatures around her by whatever means necessary, preparing for the day when she could call all them together, to form her army. She was slightly bemused at how calm she was now, so close to achieving her goal. She had expected to feel excited, or happy, but all she felt was an emptiness, a hollow sort of peace. Soon she would have a new world, a world of her own, one where her and her sisters would have the respect they deserved, where they wouldn't have to share their world with unworthy creatures like the humans that had nearly destroyed this one, one where the blood of her enemies would flow like a river. They wouldn't be expecting an invasion, as far as they knew there were no more Unseelie, they would be completely unprepared. It would be like taking candy from a baby.

"Get away from them. No one is to touch them." She commanded a curious selkie youth, who had been creeping closer to the goblins. He bowed and backed away obediently, leaving the cavern. The five goblins stared at her with wide eyes from where they sat on the rocky ground against the wall, bound together with rope.

Lodra smiled at them. She liked goblins, and she hoped she could eventually win their loyalty, she found them rather endearing and amusing. Goblins had once been neutral, and she knew that her mother had kept a few goblins. It would serve her well if she could gain some sway over them, especially if she wanted to be able to one day conquer the legendary Labyrinth. These ones hadn't spoken a word to her, or anyone else, since they had been brought here, though she had heard them speaking amongst themselves when they thought she couldn't hear. She hadn't been able to overhear anything useful yet, however, every time one of them would start to speak, the one in the horrid flowery dress would call them idiots and tell them to shut up.

"Come now, dears, there is no reason to look so glum. I have just been told that your Lady is on her way here, soon you will be reunited! Isn't that lovely?" She asked them sweetly.

They stared back in defiant silence.

"Have it your way, dears." Lodra sighed dramatically and let the fake smile melt from her face as she stood from the rocky throne, leaving the chamber to go and check on her warriors. She took the wall torch with her, leaving the goblins in complete darkness.

The cavern was silent except for Linnie's muffled sobs. After a few minutes, when they were sure they were truly alone, Darry whispered words of comfort to her.

"Don't cry! Our Lady beat da Lab-bee-rinth,  _and_  da King, she can beat da bad fishy woman too, just you watch." He whispered in the dark. Linnie's sobs dwindled down to light sniffles, and Oog started humming an old goblin folk song to help cheer them all up. Soon the rest had joined in, occasionally singing along when they thought they remembered a word or two.

* * *

The eyes were everywhere.

She had suspected she was being followed as soon as she had left the apartment, the air around her had felt oppressive and stagnant in a way that had nothing to do with the cloudy weather. Now, as she pulled out from the gas station, she could see them in the gathering dusk, round, unblinking orbs flashing yellow or red, peeking out from behind poles and from under cars. They followed her, small, black shadowy shapes darting along the side of the lonely roadway. She lost sight of them as she picked up speed, but she could still feel their presence, their pursuit, like ice cubes melting down her spine, the feeling of being watched stayed with her. She fought the urge to step on the gas and accelerate, there was no outrunning them, whatever  _they_  were, there was no crystal to make them keep their distance now.

She had been horrified when she had come back to the apartment to find it destroyed and the goblins taken. All except little Lurk, who had hidden himself with his invisibility. She had read the note carefully, trying to decipher what was going on, who was behind it, what they wanted.

_Girl- put your tracking sphere in the box and come to Rocky Neck beach at midnight tomorrow,_ _ without _ _your guardian. Tell no one. Do as you're told and your little pets will live. Fail to cooperate, and they'll all die._

She had understood right away that she was being watched, that she had been watched for some time. Whoever had taken the goblins knew not only that she had the crystal, but what it did and how to neutralize it, knew that she had goblins and was attached to them, knew when she had left the apartment without them. Her first instinct was to try calling for Jareth, damn the consequences, but to do so, to disobey the instructions when she was so obviously being watched, even now, could have been signing a death warrant for the goblins. Besides, what if it was a trap for  _him_? No, he had only been referred to as 'guardian', it was very unlikely that they knew who he really was, what he really was. On the other hand, she thought, they didn't know who she was either, and that gave her an advantage. Not using her name meant either that they didn't know who she was, or that they felt it unimportant. Being underestimated was an advantage she knew how to use.

It was her they wanted. But why? She had no idea.

What to do, then? Whoever was responsible had been kind enough to write the destination on the note, so she had left it behind, and sent Lurk to the Underground, making a show of saying that she was sending him there for his own protection and instructing him not to come after her, to ensure no suspicion was aroused. Now, all she could do was hope that Lurk decided to go to Jareth, and got to him in time, and that he was able to communicate to Jareth that something was wrong. She focused on the road, trying not to dwell on the fact that her fate rested in the hands of a mute goblin and a freshly-spurned king.

After another hour of driving, she pulled into a hotel parking lot within sight of the main road and parked as close to the office as possible, darted in and paid for a room, then flat out ran to her tiny room, shutting and locking the door behind her and pouring the salt that she had bought from the gas station in front the door and windows. She listened carefully, trying to quiet her noisy breathing. All was quiet for a moment, and then her heart stopped as she heard a scratching against the door, and the doorknob rattled a little bit. The thing emitted a low feline growl, seeming to realize that it couldn't get in that way, and the scratching stopped. Sarah jumped as something collided with the window, only to let out a sharp yelp before hitting the concrete walk outside, growling softly again. The growling grew quieter, and after several long minutes, Sarah peeked out of the window, seeing dark shapes and round eyes moving restlessly in and out of the shadows in the places that the streetlights didn't reach. Satisfied that they would keep their distance, Sarah settled down to try and catch a few restless hours of sleep. The digital clock on the bedside table glowed in the dark room, showing that it was midnight. Sarah forced her eyes to stay closed, she would need some rest if she was to have her wits about her tomorrow night.

She tried not to think about how she only had twenty-four hours left now.

* * *

The Goblin King cursed and began hopping around, rubbing his stubbed toe through his boot. He had been pacing again, unable to sleep as he fought with himself on what to do about  _her_. Jareth had never once in his life apologized to anyone, and yet he could see no other way to move forward with Sarah. It was a tough pill to swallow, one that he wasn't sure he could. He had most recently taken to deluding himself that she was pining away without him, and would call for him any time now. He knew that was about as likely to happen as one of his goblins spontaneously quoting Shakespeare, but it was a nice delusion nonetheless.

He leaned back against the wall, glaring at the ceiling of the darkened hallway and waiting for some brilliant idea to pop into his head, one that would win him Sarah without having to sacrifice his pride in the process. Another song, perhaps? Maybe she was old enough now to fully appreciate his vocal range. He had just begun mentally writing the lyrics when he was pulled from his thoughts by something tugging on his boot. He looked down to see a small grey goblin with a beak-like nose, looking up at him with an agitated expression. He waited, but the goblin didn't say anything, just continued looking upset. Perhaps it just needed something to do.

"I want you to find five chickens and chase them out of the castle." He instructed the little guy in mock seriousness, as if he was giving him an important job. That ought to keep him busy for some time, he thought, especially considering that most of the goblins couldn't count past three.

The goblin shook his head, but still said nothing, just tugging on Jareth's boot more insistently. Jareth scowled, growing irritated. "Go on, then, run along!"

The goblin stopped, stood back a bit, and glared up at the king, clawed hands on his hips. Jareth raised his eyebrows at the little show of defiance from this goblin that barely came up to his knee. He squatted down to be at eye level with the little creature and flashed a dangerous smile.

"You  _do_  know what happens to bad little goblins, don't you?" He asked silkily.

The little goblin still said nothing, but huffed in frustration and then wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes and making a kissy face before pointing at Jareth, face expectant.

"You want to kiss me?" Jareth deadpanned.

The goblin covered its face with its hands and shook its head. It thought for a moment, then made twin circular motions over its chest, large eyes imploring the king to understand.

"You want me to give you breasts?" Jareth asked, becoming even more confused.

The goblin sighed and shook his head, wondering what else to try.

"Why don't you just  _show_  me what the matter is?" The king suggested, deciding that he could use the distraction anyway.

The goblin brightened at this, scurrying off down the hallway, looking over his shoulder repeatedly to make sure the king was following him. Jareth trailed along with a bemused expression, wondering what strange trouble the goblin wanted him to know about. He followed the little fellow along twisting passageways and out of the castle, into the Goblin City. The goblin came to a stop in front of a small cottage set against the city wall, and began pounding on the door. Jareth stood back and frowned, recognizing it as the house where the ugly dwarf lived. Before he could wonder why the little goblin had brought him here, the door opened, revealing the retina-scorching sight of the dwarf in a short nightgown and fluffy robe.

"What the bleedin'- Lurk? What'er you doin' ere?" Hoggle said, voice slurred from sleepiness. "Yer Majesty!" He gasped, noticing Jareth glowering ominously from the street. "What'er you- I mean- it's the middle o' the nigh'- I'm not decent-" He stuttered in embarrassment.

"You never were, Hogwart." Jareth said with a tight grin. "As for why I'm here, I was hoping you could tell me. This little goblin led me here, I know not why."

Hoggle looked at Jareth in bewilderment for a moment, then looked down at Lurk, who looked back at him with a pleading stare.

"Well, this here is Lurk, he's one o' Sarah's goblins, don't know what he's about though, yer Majesty-" Hoggle said.

"One of Sarah's, you say?" Jareth said, his interest piqued.

Jareth looked closer at the little goblin, brow furrowing as he tried to recognize him. "If you're one of  _her_  goblins, why have I never seen you before?"

Lurk sighed deeply and rolled his eyes, going invisible for a moment, then reappearing and raising his eyebrows at the king.

"Oh, yes, I remember you now! You're that fellow who lost his tongue during that disastrous game of tag a few decades ago! What are you doing here?" He asked, baffled. He had not sensed anything from Sarah's crystal, she was not in any danger.

Lurk pantomimed conjuring a crystal and looking into it, then looked at Jareth hopefully. This time, the king understood, and did what the goblin suggested. Jareth peered into the crystal, face instantly blanching, then grabbed the goblin and disappeared, leaving Hoggle behind, standing bewildered in his doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-DUNNN! (cue dramatic orchestra music)
> 
> Coming up next time on Mischief and Magic: Jareth gets over himself, and Sarah gets a clue. Stay tuned!
> 
> Hats off to 3iggy for betaing.
> 
> And now, as-promised ridiculousness, because angst gives me indigestion (This is AU randomness, not related to the story):
> 
> The Goblin King looked up from his throne as a small, unpleasant looking creature crawled through the entryway. It shot him a quick, dismissive glance, then proceeded to creep around the room, muttering under its breath and glaring at the goblins. Jareth was miffed, nothing got away with disrespecting him like that! He stood and walked over to the creature, glowering ominously.
> 
> "Do you know who I am, foul creature? I am the Goblin King, and you will bow when you come before me."
> 
> Gollum's eyes went wide for a moment, before he doubled up laughing, holding his belly with one hand and pointing at Jareth with the other.
> 
> "Goblin King! It thinksss it's a Goblin King! Ahahahahahahahaha!" Gollum choked out between laughs. "It'sss gots its lumpsss in the wrong placesss, skinny little faery man! Ahahahaha-Ahhhhhh!"
> 
> Jareth promptly defenestrated the wretched creature, to resounding cheers from the goblins. Just before Gollum hit th.
> 
> e paving stones below, Jareth waved his hand, ensuring he would land in the bog instead. He was generous, after all.
> 
> "Was th-th-that a heff-heff-heffalump?" Piglet asked Pooh Bear from where they were standing over by the window, shaking from the tips of his pointy ears to the ends of his little pink toes. (See chapter 5 author's notes if you're confused)
> 
> Gollum climbed from the bog some time later, wailing and cursing. "Nasty, nasty faery manssss, yes precioussss, we hates them, we hatesssss them!"
> 
> -oOo-
> 
> I'm sorry (gives readers an obviously insincere look of guilt). I won't ever do this again. I just had to get Gollum out of my head, and he wasn't worth a whole fic to himself.
> 
> Please review.


	17. If We Shadows Have Offended

* * *

Sarah was jarred from sleep by a scuffling, scraping sound coming from the bathroom. Her eyes shot open in alarm and she climbed silently from the bed, heart pounding in her ears. Grabbing the lamp from the bedside table and wielding it like a baseball bat, she crept silently towards the bathroom, senses on high alert. She had not been able to reach the bathroom window with the salt earlier, it had been too high, so she had put a line of salt in the bathroom doorway. She didn't think the creatures planned to hurt her, just watch her and make sure she was following the instructions left in the note, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

"Are you sure this is the right room?" Whispered a deep, melodious voice that Sarah recognized at once. She dropped the lamp and opened the bathroom door, revealing Lurk and Jareth, standing in the tiny, dark bathroom and looking back at her with first alarm, and then deep relief. She felt like shouting for joy, she was so relieved that he was here. She and Jareth stared at each other for a moment, words temporarily escaping them. How had they found her?

"Jareth, you found me…" She said breathlessly.

Jareth snapped out of the daze he was in, nearly weak with relief at having found her alive and unharmed.

"Thank the gods you're alright, precious." He murmured, looking her up and down and giving her a small smirk.

"We were careful not to be seen by your evil escort out there, and I've magically soundproofed this room, so we can talk safely. Now, would you kindly make a break in the line of this blasted mineral, so that I can come in?" He said, shooting an irritated glance down at the line of salt blocking off the bathroom from the rest of the room.

Sarah stepped forward, scuffing her shoe through the salt line and moving aside to let Jareth and Lurk in. She glanced at Lurk, who scurried in and settled on the little chair in the room, giving him a smile and a nod to let him know she was pleased with him. He beamed at her, proud that he had done the right thing, and curled up on the chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

She turned back to face Jareth, forcing herself to speak through the suffocating tension that had suddenly filled the room. "Thank you so much for coming, and doing it discreetly. I am guessing Lurk convinced you to come to my apartment and you found the note there?"

He blinked at her words, taking a moment to set aside his thoughts before answering her.

"Yes. I mapped out the most likely route you would take based on the location you were directed to go to, we've been searching for you for the last several hours since. The goblin spotted your vehicle outside this building, and we managed to sneak in." He answered brusquely, walking around the room and checking the window and door, while Sarah poured more salt in the bathroom doorway.

"Please tell me you know what's going on?" She said quietly, still wary of being overheard despite his assurance that the room was soundproofed.

Jareth frowned slightly in thought. "Do you recall our little tete-a-tete in the park a while back?" He asked, managing to shoot her a half-hearted smirk despite the tense air between them.

Sarah suddenly had a vivid mental image of how she had found him leaning against a tree, the sinking sun making his wild hair glow, how she had mocked him and ended up being thrown over his shoulder and carted off to her house, where he had then nearly seduced her on the front porch.

"Vaguely." She answered with an indifferent shrug, stubbornly suppressing a blush.

"I came there because your crystal alerted me to danger. There was a kelpie in human form stalking you, I chased it off. I now believe that it was no ordinary kelpie, but one of the Unseelie."

"I thought the Unseelie were destroyed in the Great War?" Sarah asked in alarm.

"Mostly. It appears the remnants are still active, or have become so recently." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the ransom note and opening it, pointing to a reddish smudge near the bottom. Sarah looked closer, noticing that on closer inspection it resembled a sickle. "The war was before my time, and I have only ever seen a mark like this in history books. It is the mark of Mab." He said grimly, the headlights of a passing car illuminating him for a moment, showing Sarah his tightly pursed lips and furrowed brow, and the dark circles under his eyes.

"That's impossible, she was killed! Wasn't she?" Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice quiet despite her distress.

"Yes, most definitely. I'm assuming this was sent by one of her children. Judging by the dozen or so shadow beasts camping outside, I'd say he or she has managed to unify some of what was left of the Unseelie."

Sarah quietly marveled at how calm and in-control his voice always sounded, even now. Her chest swelled with sudden emotion, she was so glad he was here now, that she wouldn't have to face this alone.

"Okay, but what do they want with me?" She asked.

He gave her a pained look, barely visible in the darkened room. "I should not have let the kelpie escape. It seems that it figured out that you are connected to the Labyrinth, I don't see what else could make them so determined to have you in their power. I assume there is some nefarious invasion plan involved. It is likely only a few of Mab's children and a few dozen shadow beasts, I doubt any of the more malignant Aboveground creatures would be stupid enough to join forces with them after what happened last time."

Sarah blinked in confusion. "I don't understand, if they wanted to get to the Underground, why wouldn't they just use the goblins? What do I have to do with it?" She asked.

He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke his voice carried a barely detectable tone of regret. "Sarah, the 'secret path' that your goblins, and you, have used to go back and forth to the Underground is tied specifically to  _you_. While they have the magic needed to navigate such a path, they cannot make one themselves. I noticed when I first came to your apartment that you were surrounded with Labyrinth magic, but it wasn't until you came back Underground after the incident in the park that I realized why it was there, that something unique happened when you beat my Labyrinth."

"Are you talking about the magical gift thing that the Labyrinth gives to those that beat it?" She asked, remembering what he had said during the Ostara festival. Her eyes had adjusted better to the dark now, and she could see how uncomfortable he looked with this particular line of questioning. She soon found out why.

"No, this is different. You shouldn't have been able to leave, after eating my peach, but you beat the Labyrinth, said your right words, and created your own spell, one that was stronger than mine. When you left, the Labyrinth formed an instinctive connection to you, it reached out and latched on, recognizing you as a part of it. It didn't want to lose you, not completely, anyway." He said, his voice softening considerably towards the end.

Sarah inferred from the look in his eyes that the Labyrinth wasn't the only thing that didn't want to lose her. She shrugged uncomfortably, sitting down on the edge of the twin bed and pushing her feelings aside for the time being so that she could focus on all this new information.

"And so, the Labyrinth formed an attachment to you, a leash, if you will-" He continued.

"A  _what_?" She was rather miffed at the fact that he had tried to trap her in the Underground, and had apparently partially succeeded.

"A bridge, then. Forgive me for offending your delicate sensibilities." He continued defensively, the soft look disappearing from his eyes. He took a moment to peek out the window before turning back to her.

"It is different from any other connection to the Underground in that it is open for anyone to use, no wishing required. It even remains open Aboveground while you are in the Underground. It is likely also the reason that other humans tend to avoid you, most people are rather put off by magic, they cannot see it, but they can sense it. Humans have long feared and hated magic, to the point where a negative response is ingrained into most people's subconsciousness."

Sarah let out a long, slow breath, gazing unseeingly at the floor and trying to process all that he had said.

"I really wish you would have told me all this up front." She whispered, feeling overwhelmed by all that he had told her. She couldn't help thinking that this might not have happened if she had been better informed.

Jareth gave her a guilty look, sighing deeply and seeming to brace himself before he spoke again. "Sarah, you should know- do you have any idea how much I've-? What I mean is- You see, you are not like anyone I have ever met, and that makes it difficult- But that's not necessarily your fault of course-" He seemed to be struggling to spit something out.

Sarah stared at him, a wry smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Was he trying to apologize? If so, he was doing a magnificently bad job of it. "Maybe you should stop now, Goblin King, I don't think that this is going to go in the direction you intended-" She said.

"No, let me finish, this needs to be said." He told her firmly.

She nodded in acquiescence, and he met her gaze and held it.

"I am sorry, Sarah. I should not have kept these things from you." He hesitated, then continued.

"You have my word, that from now on, whatever may come, I will be more open with you. I will not ask anything of you that you are not comfortable with, nor will I keep things from you as I have thus far. I may not understand your reasoning for most things, but, I can respect it nonetheless. Also, it was poor form to turn that boy into a toad. He's fine now." He said, making a very good, if somewhat comical attempt at looking contrite.

Sarah was agape. The Goblin King had just  _apologized_ , and what was more, she could tell he was entirely sincere. Of all the unexpected things to happen, this took the cake. She stared openly at him for a moment, before realizing that he was waiting uncomfortably for a response.

"Apology accepted. I- I appreciate it. And I'm very glad you are here." She said softly.

He nodded, visibly relaxing, before his smirk and cocky demeanor returned. "So, now that that's behind us, and we find ourselves alone in this cozy little soundproofed hotel room-"

"Oh no, first off, we are  _not_  alone," Sarah said indignantly, pointing at the goblin asleep on the chair. "And even if we  _were,_  this is neither the time nor the place." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, then relaxed and suppressed a grin, seeing the teasing glint in his eyes.

"As you say, my Lady." He said with a grin.

He settled down next to her on the blue bedcover, where they sat for a minute in companionable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Sarah was the first to speak again.

"So, what do we do now?" She said.

Jareth narrowed his eyes and exhaled heavily. "I don't suppose I could talk you into going down to the Underground to wait safely while I rescue the goblins?" He said, already knowing her answer.

"Absolutely not! I have to be on that beach at midnight tomorrow, those things outside are watching my every movement, who knows what might happen if I disappeared. I refuse to take that risk with the goblins, there has to be another way." She said vehemently.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled at her nonetheless. "Then, we come up with a way to save those goblins, precious. This is probably only the work of a few Unseelie who have convinced some of the less intelligent Aboveworld creatures to work for them, but they will not stop until they have you. I will have to neutralize the threat." He said darkly. He decided not to reiterate that the best option, in his mind anyway, was for her to stay in the Underground permanently, he could destroy her bridge to the Labyrinth then, and the Unseelie forces would be left high and dry. But, he had just promised not to pressure her anymore, and he was confident that he was powerful enough to handle this himself, in fact, a plan was already forming in his mind. Besides, she would never forgive him if her goblins died, when it was in his power to help her save them.

Sarah didn't ask him to elaborate on how he intended to 'neutralize the threat', suddenly feeling a bit sorry for her goblins' kidnappers, though the feeling passed quickly. She thought on what lay ahead, feeling as if her stomach was made of lead. There were now only eighteen hours before she was expected to be on the beach. It was only an hour's drive away, so she still had an entire day and part of the night to wait before the confrontation with the Unseelie. She balled her hands into fists, trying to keep them from shaking.

"You should get some rest." Jareth said, breaking the silence.

"No, you rest, I've already had some sleep, and you look exhausted. Let me take first watch." She answered him. It was true, the faint first light of the coming dawn illuminating the room showed the dark circles under his eyes and the weary lines creasing his face, he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Seeing that she intended to be stubborn about this, he flopped down on the bed fully clothed, and closed his eyes.

"Wake me in a few hours." He said, drifting off almost immediately.

Sarah looked at him for a moment, before shifting to face the door. She may not know how they stood with each other, but she was comforted that, in this, at least, they stood together, come what may.

* * *

She woke later that morning nestled up against him, head and upper body pressed against his chest, with one of his arms around her, holding her to him. Mind foggy with sleep, she lifted her head slightly and took a moment to study his face as he slept, his strange eyebrows and wild blonde hair and sharp, otherworldly features. She suppressed the strong urge to reach up and touch his cheek, to kiss those sensual lips. She had wanted to be able to call him hers. To be able to touch him and kiss him whenever she wanted. To wake up in his arms like this every morning, to experience the mornings of gold and valentine evenings he had once tempted her with. But she had given that up, and now the ache inside her at the thought of all she had lost was physically painful. Was it too late? He seemed truly sorry, and he  _had_  promised to be more open with her.

The lips she was gazing absently at began to move. "You are truly terrible at keeping watch, precious."

Sarah was abruptly snapped out of her thoughts as his eyes opened and gave her a curious look. She sat up quickly and put some distance between them, clearing her throat and blushing furiously.

"Sorry, I don't even remember falling asleep. I was watching the door, then I woke up-" She trailed off, turning and staring fixedly at the wall. It was well into the afternoon now, and Sarah mentally berated herself for drifting off and wasting so much time. She wondered at how quiet things had been in regards to her pernicious paparazzi.

Luckily, the shadow beasts, as he had called them, seemed smart enough not to try the door or window again, but not smart enough to go around the back of the hotel and realize they might be able to get in through the bathroom window. She got up and cautiously peeked out of the window, backing away after she caught a glimpse of moving shadows under her car.

Jareth sat up and watched her carefully as she moved away. Was that wistfulness he had seen in those green eyes? Hope? Regret? She had not been openly hostile to him so far, though given the circumstances she was likely just preoccupied. She had accepted his apology, yes, but they had not discussed where they stood relationship-wise. Perhaps though, when this little issue with the troublemaking Unseelie was taken care of, she would reconsider him? Third time's the charm? He stood up and put his hand on her arm as she backed away from the window.

Sarah jumped and spun around, startled to find him so very close behind her, eyes half lidded and hair mussed from sleep. Her eyes darted to his lips momentarily before darting back to his eyes, her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to say something, do something.

After a few moments that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, he finally spoke. "We have several hours still to form a plan. I have some ideas…" His voice and expression made Sarah wonder  _what_  he had ideas about, but she never found out, as he tore himself away from her gaze and moved quickly across the room to the bathroom door, waving his hand and then turning back to Sarah with a guarded expression.

"The window is gone. Why don't you freshen up, I'll conjure some coffee and breakfast for us." He said.

Sarah nodded and moved past him quickly, torn between disappointment and relief. A bit of space would be a good thing, she decided, there was no way she could think properly while being in the same room as him right now. She absentmindedly marveled at the smooth wall where the window had been only a minute before as she stripped off her blue t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and underwear, stepping into the little shower stall and letting the hot water wash away her anxiety as herself in her thoughts.

The Goblin King paced back and forth, perfecting and refining various plans in his mind and forcefully ignoring the fact that Sarah was naked and wet not 20 feet away from him. His frequent glances at the bathroom door did not go unnoticed however, a fact he was made aware of as the little goblin began sniggering from the chair he sat on.

He glared at the goblin, who covered his mouth with his claws to try and hide his amusement. "I suppose I should be grateful that the only one of you to see me in such a state is also the only one who is unable to tell anyone about it. If you were any other goblin, you would spend the rest of your days in an oubliette for this." He sneered at Lurk.

Staring thoughtfully at the little goblin for a moment, his expression softened. He tossed the goblin a conjured croissant before he continued speaking, making sure that the shower was still on, drowning out his quiet words.

"You know, little goblin, you  _are_  quite the hero. I shall have to reward you. How about 'Lurk, Prince of the Fiery Forest'?" He said with relish, making a dramatic gesture with his arms. "I'll even give you a princely scepter to beat the fireys off with, though once they know you're Sarah's, I'm sure they'll give you wide berth..." He chuckled with dark amusement.

"Oh wait…" Jareth scowled, suddenly remembering that Lurk wasn't his goblin at present. "Well, I will after Sarah's agreed to marry me, anyway. I'm sure I can count on your assistance in convincing her?" He asked the little gray goblin, a roguish smirk on his face.

Lurk nodded and smiled conspiratorially, and Jareth's smirk widened into a mischievous smile.

"Excellent." He said in a silky voice.

At that moment he heard the shower turn off, and hastily conjured more pastries, two large mugs of coffee, sugar, and cream. He shrugged his shoulders, changing into black leather pants and a matching high collared jacket over a cream poet's shirt, his pendant glinting on his chest. He paused for a moment, realizing that Sarah probably hadn't had time to pack anything before she left.

"Sarah?" He called.

"Yes?" She answered through the door.

"If you would like, I can summon some fresh clothing for you. Just describe what you want, and where it is." He said.

"Oh. Um, okay. How about some blue jeans from the bottom dresser drawer in my bedroom, and the long-sleeve black top from the closet?" She asked tentatively.

Jareth focused, summoning the items she had requested and willing them to appear in the bathroom. He heard a gasp of surprise from the other side of the door, followed by a quiet 'thank you'.

"And undergarments?" He asked casually.

There was silence from the bathroom, and Jareth could practically feel the heat of her blush through the door.

"Um, top drawer, black panties and bra, and some socks, don't care which…" She muttered, embarrassed.

He did as she asked and then waited for her to get dressed, making a valiant effort not to leer when she emerged from the bathroom.

"Thanks for all this." She said, gesturing at her clothes and the food as she bit into a croissant.

He nodded absently as he leaned against the wall, eyeing the door. The salt line was still undisturbed.

"I was thinking," Sarah said, swallowing the rest of her food and handing a pastry to Lurk, "You said that the Labyrinth gives special magic to those that beat it, that means me too, right? Maybe that can help, we could use it-"

Jareth stopped her with a shake of his head. "That's too risky. We don't even know what your magic  _does_  yet, let alone how to trigger or control it. I have a possible plan….I think you are right about pretending to do as you're told, their defenses will be almost non-existent if they believe you to be alone, and it would be risky to act before knowing exactly where the goblins are being kept…."

An hour later, the three of them had hammered out the details to the plan, and were ready to put it into action. But Sarah had one more thing she needed to do before heading off into the unknown.

"Lurk, would you go into the bathroom for a moment? I think I lost an earring in there." Sarah said.

Lurk nodded and complied.

Jareth gave her a funny look. "You weren't wearing any earrings-" He was silenced as Sarah pulled him into a quick, passionate kiss, grabbing his lapels with both her hands, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his hard enough to bruise. She drew back before he could reciprocate, catching his eyes for a moment and seeing that he looked positively feral.

"Just in case." She whispered, before releasing him and walking briskly to the door, putting her hand on the handle and grabbing her bag as she waited for Lurk to come back into the room.

Jareth moved forward and made to grab her, only to be robbed of the chance when the little goblin suddenly reappeared and launched himself into Jareth's outstretched arms, promptly turning the both of them invisible. A cackle was heard from Lurk, followed by an irritated huff from the Goblin King. Sarah took a deep breath to steady herself before opening the door and sprinting madly for her car. Unseen, Jareth waved a hand to unlock and open the driver side door as planned, and Sarah dived in, the door shutting behind her before the shadowy things had a chance to get in. She straightened herself in the seat, fumbling with her keys, heart pounding in her ears and breath coming in shorts gasps as the black, shadowy creatures darted out from under her car, circling around the vehicle and making a sound like a hyena's laugh, their round, glowing eyes fixed on her. She felt a breeze and smelt a hint of that now-familiar wild earthy smell from the passenger side and then heard a quiet "Go,  _now_ , Sarah," just as she managed to finally get the key into the ignition and start the car. She backed up, feeling several bumps under her tires as she pulled out of the parking lot with a screech, accelerating along the main road until the hotel was out of sight.

"Here we go." She said with a nervous finality, feeling a reassuring hand on her arm as she took the exit that would lead to Rocky Beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> …..And, they're off to see the wizard, the Water Monster Wizard(ess) of Connecticut. I know everyone wants them to just kiss and make up and make the bad guys go boom, but things are never that simple.
> 
> Jareth seems to have a bad habit of underestimating his opponents, hope it doesn't go as badly for him this time (ignore the ominous foreshadowing there). On another note, Lurk being Jareth's wingman: How friggin' adorable is that? I can almost see the epic disaster that might unfold if that was allowed to play out. And did you get the Shakespearean title? In the play Puck called the fae 'shadows' and here Jareth has 'offended'. Get it? No? Sorry, bad pun.
> 
> Anyway, fasten your seatbelts, there are only about 3-4 chapters left, and I have a feeling the next one is going to make you all want to throw your shoes at me….


	18. Bells are Ringing

**Chapter 18: Bells Are Ringing**

The stars were snuffed out behind a thick, cold blanket of fog that had rolled in over the coast. Rocky Beach lay vacant, it was the off season, there would be no tourist parties or bonfires this night, even the locals were kept away by the chill, evil-feeling fog that smothered the beach. Sarah stumbled along, barely able to see more than 20 feet in front of her, an unnatural mist swirling around her ankles, her steps guided more by sound and instinct than by sight. Every so often, she would reach out her arms, making it look as if she was simply trying to keep her balance, her true purpose being to feel the invisible body that moved silently at her side. They were alone, wandering blindly through the damp, freezing air that made her hair and clothes cling to her skin and her breath feel heavy in her lungs. The shadow beasts had disappeared shortly after they had arrived at the beach access turnout, and their unexplained absence was almost more disturbing than when they'd been following her.

She'd been walking along the beach for nearly thirty minutes before she heard anything besides the gentle swooshing of the tide on the rocky shore. Standing still as a statue, she strained her eyes in all directions, trying in vain to pinpoint where the small sound had come from. She felt Jareth's arm brush lightly against hers, and found her courage.

"Who's there?" She called out, pleased at how firm her voice sounded.

For a moment there was nothing, then a deep feminine chuckle sounded from somewhere behind her. Sarah spun around, just able to make out a figure walking slowly toward her through the gloom.

"Bold little thing, aren't you?" The woman said mockingly, stopping about five feet from Sarah.

The pale, barefooted woman stood before her, garbed in a dress as grey as the sea, making her appear to blend in with the thick fog around them. She was tall and lean, with long, vibrant red hair framing a surprisingly human face.

Sarah gasped as she recognized her. "You're that girl from school! The one who hung out with Marla Biggs for a little while. What are you doing here?"

"Tsk. This is the 21st century, can't a girl get a college education without everyone questioning her motives? This isn't my true form, stupid girl, it's just the visage of a girl who made the poor decision to take a late night walk alone several months ago."

Sarah didn't know what to say about that, feeling sorry for the poor girl to whom that face and form had originally belonged. "Are you the one who took my goblins and left that note?"

"Perhaps." The red-headed woman replied coyly.

Sarah had no patience for games. "I have done everything you have asked. Where are they? Are they safe?" She demanded.

Before the woman could answer, a clop-clopping sound was heard over the soft sounds of the waves, drawing closer to them and growing louder. Sarah squinted, able to make out several large shapes approaching out of the gloom.

'Horses?' Sarah thought as they drew close enough for her to make out their shapes better. 'What are horses doing- oh, right,  _kelpies_. Hopefully this is all of them, that's not so many.' She thought hopefully.

"There you are, sisters. The girl is here as instructed, all will be carried out according to plan. Come now, girl, Aria will carry you."

"I've never ridden before…" Sarah objected, taking a step back. She wasn't sure if Jareth and Lurk would be able to keep up if the horse/kelpie thing decided to gallop. He had told her he wouldn't be able to fly, Lurk was larger than his owl form and he would be unable to carry him, and he had to maintain physical contact with the goblin in order to remain invisible.

"You've nothing to fear, so long as you do as you're told. I do need you alive, after all." And with that the woman picked up Sarah and set her on the back of the dappled grey, moving with inhuman speed and strength. Sarah desperately grasped onto the horse's mane as it began to move, fighting down her panic, and then holding back a yelp as something collided with her head. She squeezed her legs against the horse's sides and stiffened in an attempt to keep from falling, then relaxed a little as she felt a small creature clinging to her back, legs wrapped around her waist and arms draped over her shoulders, and then felt feathers against her cheek, and taloned claws lightly gripping her shoulder on either side of Lurk's arm. Clever boys.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw a new horse with a reddish coat speed past her to the front of the herd, where it began leading the others as they picked up speed and began to race down the dark, foggy beach. Sarah tried awkwardly to stay on the horse, a feat made even more difficult due to her hidden companions clinging to her and adding unfamiliar weight that made her feel unbalanced. The horse (or woman? kelpie? Did kidnapping scum even bother with political correctness?) seemed to be aware of her struggle, however, and was doing it's best to keep her on, shifting or slowing when necessary so that Sarah could maintain her balance.

After a few minutes, Sarah was so cold that she could barely feel her fingers, her nose was running and her eyes burned from riding in the salty air, and Jareth's sharp talons dug into her shoulder every time she started to slip. She was almost glad when the herd slowed to a canter, but that relief was short lived as she saw why they had slowed. This part of the beach seemed to be from another world, narrow and rocky against a steep cliff, whereas the rest of the beach had been wide and flat and open. The fog had thinned enough that Sarah could see how their surroundings glittered in the dim moonlight that sporadically peeked through the clouds, clearly this was a magical place. Against the cliff was a jagged black vertical cut in the rock, and out of this opening came a stench that rivaled Jareth's bog. Sarah eyes watered from the smell, she tried to breathe through her mouth as they approached the black scar in the rock face, but that was even worse, now she could taste it. A muffled buzzing sound could be heard from deep in the cave, like a hive of monstrous bees.

The horses turned and trotted into the crevice, blackness and confusion swallowing them up one by one. Sarah hung on tightly to her steed's mane and sat as still as possible, able to sense in the pitch dark that they were traveling in single file along a narrow, twisting path that sloped steadily downward. She felt Lurk's heartbeat pounding against her back and the owl stiffen on her shoulder as they all tried to remain calm in the face of such uncertainty, waiting to see where they were being taken. The stench ripened and the noise grew louder the deeper they went, and after a few minutes a flickering, reddish light could be seen faintly illuminating the tunnel's walls from further on. Sarah's horse took one final turn, and as they came out into the main cavern, Sarah's mouth fell open in horror at the sight before them, Jareth clenched his talons hard enough to pierce her skin, causing her wince, and Lurk trembled against her back. Thousands upon thousands of beings, both humanoid and monstrous, filled the gargantuan cavern, visible by the hundreds of fires that speckled the ground. Their party stood on a ledge a good 50 feet above the cavern floor, and Sarah felt bile rise in her throat as she looked down on the multitudes of enemy warriors, armed and ready for attack. This was not what they had been expecting, but it was too late to back out now, besides, the plan might still work. As long as they could get to the goblins, Jareth could pop them out of here together and in one piece.

The narrow ledge wound around the outside of the cavern for a few hundred feet before descending into a smaller, torch-lit side cavern with several tunnels leading off into the blackness. It was there that they went, the horses transforming into what appeared to be young women when they reached the smaller cavern. Sarah landed with an 'oomf' on the hard ground as her mount transformed into a blonde girl and stepped away from her, sneering. Sarah stood and scowled back at her, rubbing her sore rear end. She felt a slight breeze from the empty space next to her, and knew that Jareth had transformed back into himself.

The red-headed woman, whom Sarah assumed was the leader, approached her.

"I am pleased that you have followed instructions, I plan to make my move tonight, and I would have been most  _displeased_  if you had delayed me. Continue to cooperate, and you will live in comfort in my new world, misbehave, and you will spend the rest of your life in chains." She said, looking at Sarah hungrily.

"What move? Who are you?" Sarah asked bravely, refusing to show the fear she felt.

"So many questions. My plans are none of your business, girl." She turned away from Sarah and faced the main cavern, putting two fingers in her mouth and whistling. A half-dozen armored frog-man hybrids with green skin and long, webbed fingers hop-walked over to them, bowing low before their leader.

"Use the girl's path. Scout out the land, and report back promptly." She instructed them. They turned their large, frog-like eyes on Sarah and leapt at her suddenly. Sarah threw her hands up and shrieked, but nothing happened. The frogmen disappeared a few feet from her, leaving nothing behind but slimy footprints on the wet, rocky cave floor.

"As for who I am," The woman continued, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "I am Lodra, eldest daughter and heir of Queen Mab. But that isn't important, what is important is who I  _will_ be. Before the sun rises, I will be Queen Lodra of the Underground, and you, my dear little mortal girl, are the key to all that." Lodra said, eyeing Sarah hungrily again, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

'That's what  _you_  think.' Sarah thought indignantly, though she said nothing aloud. The woman was clearly dangerous, Sarah could sense that she was far more powerful than she appeared, it would be best not to provoke her. Sarah felt sickened at the thought that right now, those foul creatures were in the fiery forest. She hoped they got their heads ripped off. She looked around the small cavern, seeing a crude throne set up against the far wall. And a few feet from that…

"My goblins!" Sarah started to run to them, but was stopped by a hand that grabbed her arm and yanked her back roughly.

"Did you not hear the part about how I am your ruler now, girl? Or are you just stupid? You will not run off before I am done speaking! You belong to me now, and you will have to learn some manners," Lodra said coldly, raising her other hand to strike Sarah.

Things happened very fast then. A blast of bright, white magic erupted from Sarah's left, sending Lodra and her sisters flying into the main cavern, where they landed in a heap. Sarah looked over at Jareth, now visible and wearing his black armor, a furious look on his face as he began throwing crystals at the walls and roof of the little side cavern. A shimmering, opaque wall of magic went up around them like a dome, sealing them in and the Unseelie out before they realized what was happening. Sarah ran over to the goblins, who were stretching after Lurk had untied them.

"Is everyone okay?" Sarah asked in concern, checking them all over.

"Yes, Lady, we's fine, jus' crampy," Oog answered, rubbing his long limbs.

"And hungry," Darry added, looking at his mistress hopefully.

"We knew you's coming for us, yes we did!" Linnie said proudly, beaming up at Sarah.

"And you brought Kingy, too!" Dell exclaimed with excitement, biting her misshapen lower lip and clasping her gnarled claws together as she gazed adoringly at Jareth, who had finished creating the shield and was walking over to them now, a grim look on his face.

Sarah walked to meet him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him gratefully. "Thank you for saving them, Jareth, everything worked out perfectly-"

Jareth stood stiffly, eyes closing briefly as he realized what he would have to do.

"Sarah, there's a problem." He said slowly, disengaging himself from her arms and stepping back, trying to meet her eyes, but finding he was unable to.

"What do you mean? Come on, Jareth, don't joke around, we've got the goblins, let's get out of here now," Sarah said nervously, wondering at his strange behavior.

"We can't. This whole place has been warded against teleporting." He motioned to several crude symbols carved sporadically into the stone ground around them. Sarah shivered and looked away, sensing the same unwholesomeness that she had felt from the box she had put the crystal in.

Jareth continued, "I've never even heard of such magic, and there's no time to try and figure out how to go about undoing it. And even I cannot fight that many creatures at once." He said, gaze falling to the ground.

"So you're saying- you're saying we're trapped?!" Sarah said in alarm. She jumped as a resounding boom came from the part of the shield that separated them from the main cavern, making the wall of magic shiver, though it stayed intact. This happened several more times, and each time, the din from the main cavern got louder and clearer, signifying that the shield was getting weaker.

"You have to take your path back to the Underground, I will seal it off behind you." Jareth said brusquely, turning away from her and marching back over to the entrance, where he threw several more crystals at the shield, strengthening it and making the chaotic sounds from the other side muffled once more.

"What about  _you_?!" Sarah yelled after him. This could  _not_  be happening, everything had gone according to  _plan_ , and now- now-

"Take the goblins and  _go_ , Sarah, there is no other way-"

"I  _refuse_  to accept that! There  _has_  to be another way, there is always another way, I am  _not_  leaving you here!" Sarah yelled, storming over to him with fire in her eyes.

Jareth turned to her, eyes blazing to match hers, but right then a huge blast hit the shield, the force of it reverberating through the small cavern, putting out several torches and nearly knocking Sarah off her feet. Jareth conjured a huge crystal, bigger than any Sarah had seen yet, and launched it at the disintegrating shield. As it hit, Sarah heard screams from the other side, the shield repaired itself, and the assault stopped. It wouldn't last forever, she knew, but it would buy them some time.

She felt like crying, like stamping her feet and wailing about the unfairness of this situation. Everything was going to hell in a handbasket, and she had never even told him-

Sarah halted her train of thought right there, looking up at Jareth, who was watching the entranceway carefully. Now was as good a time as any, she supposed.

"Jareth….. I love you."

Having finished strengthening the shield, Jareth let his arms fall to his side, but he did not turn towards her or make any answer.

She continued on tearfully. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that."

"Do you." He spoke quietly and turned around, watching her with an unreadable expression. So long he had wanted this, only to have it happen when it was almost too late…

She nodded, biting her lip and watching apprehensively to see what he would do next.

Jareth walked forward slowly, stopping in front of her and taking her hands gently in his own, a determined expression taking over his face.

"Marry me."

Sarah's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Right here, right now. Be my wife, be my queen." His expression was beginning to crack, revealing a swell of tumultuous emotion underneath.

"Jareth, I don't think now is the right time-" She said.

"Now is the only time!" He said vehemently.

"Don't talk like that-"

"Will you, or won't you?"

"But how? We are the only ones here." She asked, not even daring to believe that this was real. She didn't doubt for a moment that this was what she wanted, who else could ever compare?

"I have the authority to officiate any marriage, even my own." He answered, some of his haughtiness returning. "Look, we even have witnesses." He said wryly with a half-hearted smirk, nodding to the bewildered goblins.

Darry took this moment to whisper knowledgeably to Linnie, "Weddings have  _cake_!"

"I do, I mean I will, I mean- yes!" Sarah grinned widely and let out a short, bemused laugh at this bizarre turn of events. She watched in disbelief as Jareth conjured a long golden ribbon and began to wrap it around their joined right hands, looking at her as if she had been the one to invent sunshine. Was this really happening? Yes, yes it was, and as mad as it seemed, it also felt so right.

"Just repeat what I say, precious." Jareth said, Sarah nodding in understanding.

"I, Jareth, King of the Goblins, give my hand in marriage to you, Sarah Williams, of my own free will." He said.

Sarah repeated his words. "I, Sarah Williams, give my hand in marriage to you, Jareth, King of the Goblins, of my own free will."

"I pledge to join my house to yours, sharing equally in fortune and misfortune, from this day forth, holding nothing back." He continued.

"I pledge to join my house to yours, sharing equally in fortune and misfortune, from this day forth, holding nothing back." She said, eyes locked with his.

"I vow to honor, protect, and care for you, as long as we both still live." He said, fierce adoration on his face as he awaited her answer.

"I vow to honor, protect, and care for you, as long as we both still live." Sarah said, intending to make sure that that would be a very long time.

Jareth raised his left hand and began fiddling with the ribbon, and, seeing that he was stubbornly trying to tie the ends of the ribbon together one-handed, Sarah used her free hand to help him. After the knot was tied securely, Jareth waved his free hand over their tied hands, and the ribbon glowed brightly and then disappeared, though Sarah could swear that she could still feel it against her wrist.

"That's all?" She asked.

"All that remains is to seal it with a kiss." Jareth said, letting go of her hand and stroking her cheek, a bittersweet smile on his face as he leaned in.

"Crooooaaak."

"Croak?"

"Croak."

Sarah and Jareth turned their heads sharply, staring in surprise as they realized they had an unexpected audience. The six frogmen stood a few feet away, looking utterly bewildered at the scene unfolding before them. Jareth waved his hand impatiently, and the frogmen suddenly shrunk dramatically and became real frogs, who immediately hopped away, ribbiting in fear.

"Now, where were we?" Jareth asked, turning back to Sarah and pulling her towards him, crashing his lips on hers and pulling her close, one hand on her lower back and the other entwined in her hair. Sarah looped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, giving as good as she got, until they finally had to break apart for air. Jareth began kissing down her jawline and neck, making Sarah sigh and melt into him, letting her head fall to the side to give him better access, completely forgetting where they were and what was going on. Jareth abruptly stopped when he got to the junction of her neck and shoulder, pressing his forehead against her neck and holding her tightly against him.

"This is truly not fair, I was so looking forward to our wedding night." He laughed bitterly against her skin.

She pushed back to meet his eyes. "Don't say that! Everything will be fine, and I'm staying right here with you, no matter what! We'll figure something out, there has to be a way out of this-"

He pulled her to him again and drowned her words in a searing kiss. His lips and tongue moved against hers with fierceness and passion that she returned with equal fervor, but slowly yet surely the kiss became a thing of tenderness and longing, of empty promises and broken dreams. He drew away from her with a pained look, breathing shallowly and steeling himself for what he was about to do.

"I love you, Sarah-mine. Never doubt that."

She looked at him in confusion as he placed two fingers on her forehead, willing her into an enchanted sleep. As her eyes fluttered shut and her legs gave out he caught her, holding her tightly against his chest and kissing her face again and again as he apologized.

"I'm so sorry, my love, my sweet Sarah, precious,  _precious_  thing, this is all my fault, all my fault, please forgive me." He whispered into her unconscious ears with all the tenderness of a lover who has dropped all pretense, who has realized the futility of pride and artifice and wishes only to speak the truth of his heart, no matter how futile it may be. Maybe, maybe if he had just been more open with her, he thought, she might have agreed to stay Underground, and this would never have happened. Face twisted in a tortured expression, he pulled his pendant off over his head and worked it over Sarah's head, adjusting it and pulling her chocolate tresses free from the chain. With a final lingering kiss goodbye, he laid her down on the damp rocky ground and stood and stepped away, looking eerily calm now.

Turning to the confused goblins, he addressed them sternly, with all the poise and superiority befitting a King addressing his subjects. "Sarah is now the Queen of the Goblins. Take her back to the Labyrinth safely, I will seal off the path behind you. One of you will need to go directly to the High King and tell him all that has happened here. Go, now."

The six frightened goblins hurried forward, grabbing Sarah and twisting slightly before disappearing, taking the special path to the Underground one last time.

* * *

A short while later Sarah awoke, blinking in confusion at the sunlit branches above her, before sitting up suddenly and gasping in pain, hand clutching her chest. She felt as though something vital inside her had been broken, as if something had been torn violently from within her, ripped apart, leaving jagged edges that scraped and tore at her heart.

"Jareth, Jareth…" She gasped.

Her hand bumped against something metal on her chest, she looked down in bewilderment at the pendant that shouldn't have been there, her panicked mind trying to process what had happened. The pendant began to glow, enveloping her in a dazzling light that faded almost as suddenly as it had begun.

Her breaths came out in short gasps as a horrible possibility entered her mind, her hand fled her chest and went to grasp her wrist, and she let out an anguished wail when she felt nothing there, knowing now what that pain signified, and what the glowing had meant.

"No, no! Take me back!" She screamed at her goblins, tears streaming down her face. "I wish the goblins would take me to their King, right now!"

The goblins watched her mournfully from several feet away, knowing instinctively that there was no way they could do as she asked, it was too late now. Those with the power to grant wishes did not get to make their own, something Sarah knew all too well.

Sarah sat and cried, her loud, wracking sobs the only sound in the usually vibrant forest. Goblins began to approach, dozens and dozens of them, bowing solemnly and watching her with a deep sadness, but keeping their distance as they gathered all around her. Sarah's eyes snapped up hopefully when she felt a breeze, half-expecting it to be Jareth, that he had gotten away, despite the deep despair in her heart that told her otherwise.

But it was Jareth's father that stood in front of her, not him, looking at her in shock, taking in her tearstained face and the pendant around her neck, which still had a faint glow to it. He searched her glistening green eyes, seeing his own despair reflected in them, and swallowed thickly, not wanting to believe the truth.

"Please, there has to be something…" She pleaded with him, searching his face for some sign of hope, something that she could grab onto.

Oberon walked over to her, gently helping her up and letting her lean on his arm. He fought back his own grief and cleared his mind, focusing on transporting them to the castle.

"Come, child, there is much to be done." He said, as they faded from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait! Wait!
> 
> At least give me a five minute head start before you come after me with your pitchforks and assorted footwear.
> 
> And in the immortal words of Robin Hood, "Trust me, I have a plan!"
> 
> In the mean time, go ahead and yell at me, I know you want to.


	19. The Power of Persuasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry for the delay, life was/is crazy, and I had a bad case of writer's block. I tried to remedy it by writing smut, but that didn't work. So, I tried reading, and ended up completely immersed in Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'. Rather than inspiring me, it just made me want to somehow incorporate 18th century kilt-wearing red-headed Scottish men into the story. My imagination argued that Kelpies were Scottish beasties, and I had at one point mentioned that Darry the goblin wore a kilt, so it could work. My common sense argued that it was completely unreasonable, and besides, the Goblin King, if he lived, had enough to worry about without adding kilted Highlanders into the mix. Then my imagination, sensing defeat, avenged itself by providing me with a mental image of the Goblin King wearing a kilt. Only a kilt.
> 
> Holy bagpipes.
> 
> This short-circuited my brain and left me thoroughly incapacitated for some time. However, I eventually recovered, and so, without further ado:
> 
> Chapter 19: The Power of Persuasion

Then:

" _There is a 13 hour limit," Oberon had started, immediately after arriving in the Goblin King's throne room with Sarah, after transporting them from the forest. "-in regards to the Goblin King's, or Queen's, in your case, ability to reorder time, in either direction." He said, nodding at the pendant that lay around her neck._

_Sarah stared at him dumbly, not understanding where he was going with this. His words seemed disjointed and disconnected, she realized with a sort of bemused detachment that she might be going into shock, her breathing was shallow and irregular, and the world seemed funny, as if she was underwater. She blinked slowly at the floor, absently rubbing her wrist and willing his words to make sense._

_Suddenly a cup of something warm was placed in her hands, she looked up to find Oberon watching her with concern._

" _Drink this, it will help keep your mind sharp." He said softly, urging her to drink._

_Sarah raised the cup and took a sip, gagging the foul brown liquid down. "Blech, what is this?" She asked, making a face._

" _Rookwood root tea, tastes terrible, but does its job. How do you feel now?" He asked._

" _A bit better, thank you." She said._

" _Drink the rest of it. You're going to need your wits about you. A fainting queen is no good to anyone." He said flatly._

_Sarah looked at him sharply, ready to lash out, vent some of her rapidly returning emotions. She stopped upon seeing his face, seeing that he was clearly not taking this any better than her, no matter how stoically he acted. She took another drink, then asked shakily, "You were talking about reordering time."_

" _Yes. From what the goblin told me, you came here around 4 hours ago, add an hour just in case of error, and that leaves 8 hours to figure something out."_

_She look at him cautiously, a tiny spark of hope starting to grow in her. "What did you have in mind?"_

* * *

Now:

The mists seemed to come alive, as if sensing her purpose, swirling about her with malicious oppressiveness and brushing her skin with clammy tendrils like the wispy fingers of a ghost, made tangible by the dark magic that suffused this part of the beach. The swirling shapes in the darkness made her imagination conjure formless terrors, a less level-headed woman would have run for the nearest building, for the sanctuary of light and warmth, but Sarah was nothing if not stubborn and single minded. She put one foot in front of the other, half-blind in the dark, the faint illumination of moonlight through the clouds and fog insufficient to see her next step by. She stumbled onward, tripping over rocks and driftwood, guided only by the steady sound of waves to her left and a feeling of urgency that propelled her forward, forward towards an uncertain but unavoidable end. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, burning away her fatigue and numbing her raw nerves, giving her the necessary courage to keep moving. There wasn't much time left now.

Some in the underground believe that the girl-who-ate-the-peach-and-forgot-everything got through the Labyrinth out of naivety and dumb-luck. Some believe fate played a part in it. Whether or not that was true, it was raw courage, and iron will, and a certain power of persuasion that made her victorious in the end. Certainly, nothing less than raw courage and an iron will were needed for what she was about to do now. The tall, narrow entrance to the caves stood before her, silent and unguarded, reeking of death and sickness. The darkness emanating from the jagged opening was of such a complete and total black that it made the gloomy night around her almost seem cheerful and sunny in comparison.. She knew that at this very moment, Jareth and her past self were deep within, realizing that they had made a terrible mistake. Could she rectify it now? Only one way to find out. She flexed her fingers and squared her shoulders, trying to ignore the eye-watering stench and the near-impossibility of her mission as she stepped forward, relying entirely on her sense of touch and sound to make her way.

The kelpies had carried them this way, many hours ago, and also just a short time ago as well. Sarah was pretty sure that it was a single path, she had not felt any drafts from potential side-caverns on the way down the first time, nor did she now. She shivered in the inky blackness, hand against the wall to guide her as she made her way down, down, down, the darkness and stench wrapping around her senses like a wet wool blanket, making her blind and deaf, as if the path she walked was in her own mind, rather a real, physical place. She stopped for a moment to control her breathing, fighting off the fear and claustrophobia that threatened to choke her. Once she felt in control of herself again, she continued forward at a steady pace, taking comfort from the feeling of the invisible magic ribbon wrapped around her wrist once more.

* * *

" _I don't understand, what can I do? Wouldn't it make more sense to go back yourself? With an army?" Sarah asked. She had confirmed all that her goblins had told him about recent events, and she had hoped he would have some kind of answer, some magic solution, but it seemed his only idea was for her to go back, an idea that made no sense to her, and, quite frankly, High King or no, it was pissing her off._

" _I do not have that power, it passed to Titania, then Jareth, and then to you. Only you can go back." Oberon answered impatiently._

" _Well then, I abdicate! Here, take it!" Sarah began to take off the pendant, but was stopped as Oberon rushed to her, putting one hand on hers to stop her and the other roughly over her mouth._

" _Don't be stupid! Words have power, be careful what you say! And don't you think, that if I could go back and save_ my son _, I would still be standing here? The power to reorder time belongs to the current Champion of the Labyrinth, even if it did allow me another successful run, there wouldn't be time!"_

" _Oberon, enough!"_

_Both Sarah and the High King started and turned to face the new voice in the room. Queen Titania had appeared, Linnie and One-eye, who had clearly taken it upon themselves to inform her of recent events, at her side. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, her auburn hair disheveled and windswept. Her expression was one of hollow strain, of one who has been confronted with an emotion too powerful and terrible to control, and so they step around it and continue on as if nothing has happened, hoping to delay the whirlwind for a little while. All three of them had felt his passing, but none yet had the courage to voice it, to give it tangibility and power by publicly acknowledging it in any specific detail._

_The High King and Queen stared at each other for a few moments, seeming to communicate silently with only their eyes and slight facial expressions. At last they seemed to come to some sort of unspoken agreement, and Oberon stepped back and waited a few paces away, as Titania came forward, taking Sarah's arm gently in hers and leading her over to a bench by the window, where they sat down together. At first, Titania just gazed blankly out of the window, blinking and seemingly trying to control her emotions before she spoke. Sarah relaxed a little, feeling a significant drop in the tension of the room, and being grateful to Titania for that, at least._

" _It's a faint hope, but a hope nonetheless," Titania began quietly, gaze still fixed on the sky. The midday sun shone into the nearly empty throne room, making the dried tear tracks visible on her pale cheeks as she turned stoically to face the young woman sitting next to her. In answer to Sarah's questioning look, she continued._

" _My husband thinks there is a possibility that your magic might be of help, though I am sure that if your power could be of any use in a rescue attempt, you would have spoken up by now." She said._

" _What power? Are you talking about the 'gift' from the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked, bemused._

" _Yes, of course." Titania watched her curiously._

" _I'm sorry, I don't have it yet-" Sarah started apologetically._

" _-Yes, you do, we all saw it during Ostara-"_

" _What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, more confused than ever._

" _Those little orbs of light that surrounded you when you danced with... with Jar-" Titania stopped speaking abruptly, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth in an attempt to stifle a sob._

_Oberon came over and pulled Titania up into his arms, continuing the conversation while his Queen tried in vain to regain her composure. "You mean to say you are unaware of what it does?" He asked Sarah._

" _Yes, I mean, I didn't even know that was me, what happened at Ostara-" She said, looking up at him, feeling a pang, as she realized she might never have someone to comfort her like that._

" _Did he not teach you anything?" Oberon asked in exasperation._

" _Well, I guess it just never came up." Sarah explained uncomfortably. They hadn't exactly had many honest conversations, now that she thought about it. Unbidden, the tears began to flow again, though she had been sure there couldn't possibly be any more by now. Oberon handed her a handkerchief, which she took gratefully, dabbing at the unabating flow from her eyes._

" _I'll be completely honest with you Sarah, there is very little chance of changing what has happened today. Even if you were in possession of some great battle-worthy power, which you had had time to master, the odds of a successful rescue are close to nil, given what you've told me about the force of their army and the setup of the caves. I suppose it is really your choice though, not mine. We could work with you now on your magic for the next few hours, if it turns out to be something that might be of use, you could go back and try to change things. However, you would go alone. I can guide you in basic time-manipulation and transport, but to take others with you is a skill that would take months for you to learn. Were you not to return, which, I must tell you, is a high likelihood, you would forever have our gratitude for trying, and in time, a suitable replacement would be found to rule the Goblin Kingdom. On the other hand, you could choose to stay here; events would remain unaltered, but you would live a long life ruling the goblins and caring for the Labyrinth, in comfort and safety, as I am sure Jareth intended. Either way, thanks to his choosing to stay behind and close the path, the Underground is safe, the Unseelie are unable to come here now." Oberon said._

_Sarah blinked, considering all he had said. "Well, it can't hurt to try, then, can it?" She said, raising determined green eyes to meet his sharp blue ones. She thought she saw a flicker of approval flash across his face before he spoke._

" _Let's get started then, shall we?" He said, giving both Sarah and Titania a curt nod._

* * *

Sarah pulled her hood up closer around her head, walking close up against the wall and staying in the shadows as the end of the passage drew near. She forcefully numbed her senses to the noise and stench that threatened to drown her as she slinked into the cave, climbing halfway down the cave wall, crouching on a dark ledge just above the heads of the shadowy masses below. The chaos of the gathered Unseelie let her go unnoticed, all attention was fixed on the far side of the massive cavern, where Sarah could just make out the red-headed profile of Lodra, as well as her sisters and several other apparently powerful Unseelie unleashing bursts of magic at the shimmering shield that sealed off the small side cavern. Their magic was terrifying, like shadow made solid, taking the form of whips and spears and unidentifiable winged things that sliced through the firelight before crashing into the shield with a sound like metal scraping against stone. Sarah stared for a moment, swallowing a painful lump in her throat, before turning her attention to her task.

Discerning green eyes swept over the army filling the cave. Sarah was pleased to see that the various groups remained divided by type, the selkies stood with other selkies, the grindylows were with the grindylows, and so on and so forth. This was good, clearly their loyalty lay first with their own kind, before their supposed Queen. That would make her task much easier. She turned her attention to the group just below her. Gremlins; a larger, more vicious, and far cleverer cousin of the goblin. They would be the greatest challenge, she would have prefered to avoid them if at all possible, but their faction was set up in a way that she couldn't make her way into the rest of the cave without being noticed by them. She surveyed the gremlins leather-capped heads until she found what she was looking for, an iron circlet around an especially fat gremlin's head.

'In for a penny, in for a pound." She thought, hands beginning to glow as she dropped from the ledge, dodging swords and grimy fingers as she darted towards the Gremlin King.

* * *

" _Well, we can mark any effect on the nervous system off the list."_

_After about an hour of trying, with Titania and Oberon's guidance, Sarah could now create the little balls of light at will. They danced around her now, seeming to have a mind of their own. The problem was that they couldn't figure out what they did. She had tried conjuring various things, to no avail. She had tried invisibility, growing things like Titania, telekinesis, and abilities related to the four elements, but no matter how closely she followed instructions, no matter how fiercely she willed something to happen, her little magic balls remained idle and impotent, orbiting her slowly like some kind of cosmic carousel. The latest attempt was being tried out on a willing and eager to please goblin named Smook, who she had been trying unsuccessfully to paralyze or physically control in some way. Sarah was getting frustrated, a steadily increasing feeling of hopelessness tightening around her heart like a vise, a feeling she knew was also felt by Jareth's parents, no matter how well they tried to hide it._

_According to Oberon, there had to be a base power, the root magic that would give life to her various future abilities. Titanias root magic was plant life, from it she could bring forth all manner of trees, flowers and crops, establish ecosystems, bless barren ground with new life. Jareth's root magic was/had been desire, he granted wishes and created illusions and dreams, and was even able to twist the minds and hearts of those with weak wills. Oberon's magic was of bonds, whether physical or emotional, magical or mundane, he could command love and loyalty, walls and shields, spells and contracts, all things that connected or separated people from one another. Sarah hoped that her 'root magic' wasn't something lame like 'cleanliness', or something equally benign._

_To make matters worse, the goblin horde was restless and unhappy. Several of them had entered the throne room a little while ago, wanting to go Above and retrieve the body of their King. Sarah had been shocked at this abrupt return to reality, and angrily refused them. They had glared knives at her, she had explained herself by telling them that a small band could go with Oberon's troops, but only after the full 13 hours had passed. Sarah wasn't sure how things worked when one started messing with time, but she didn't want to risk the future by sending the goblins into an unknown and possibly changeable situation right now. They had not been pleased with her, but had grudgingly accepted her command. Sarah's own goblins, perhaps due to their extended period of sobriety, seemed to have a better grasp on the situation, and they had stationed themselves in the hallway outside the throne room so as to intercept any petitioners, making sure that Sarah and the High King and Queen could work in peace. Sarah appreciated the effort, but the ever-resourceful goblin horde only found a new way to express their discontent, gathering beneath the throne room windows, banging on drums and howling funeral dirges without rest._

_Indeed, at that very moment, several of the more belligerent goblins suddenly came tumbling in through the window, having apparently scaled the walls, while several more crashed through the entryway, wrestling their way past her goblins. They were all yelling over each other, waving their fists and clearly fed up with what they likely perceived as a show of disrespect towards their former King. The three royalty snapped as one, Titania made a thorny hedge grow in the doorway and the window, Oberon snapped his fingers and chained up all the goblins in a great, writhing pile that rolled into the pit in the center of the room, and Sarah looked right in the eyes of the apparent rebel leader and said, "Enough! I am your Queen and you will trust me and do as I say! Got it?"_

_She gasped as one of the little lights suddenly parted from its brethren and made a beeline for the goblin, entering his chest and disappearing. His eyes glazed over and a peaceful look came over him, smiling, he responded, "Aye, Queeny, Krazuk trust yous, and do as you says." Then, he stared dreamily off into the distance, looking nothing like the enraged goblin from a moment ago._

_Sarah glanced over at the High King and Queen, wondering if they had seen that, and sure enough, both of them were staring at her, eyebrows raised in surprise, a faint hopeful gleam returning to their eyes._

" _Well, now we know where to start." Oberon said, a thoughtful look in his eye._

_A little while later, Sarah had managed to get all of the captive goblins calm and happy, sending little balls of light into each one successfully, after a bit of trial and error. She had tried other things, at Oberon's urging, but found she was unable to control their minds or actions, as they had initially suspected she might be able to. She found she could convince them of almost anything, if she tried hard enough and made a valid argument. The magic wore off after about a half hour, though, and she had a harder time getting them convinced of their happiness and complacency a second time, they seemed to have built up some resistance once they realized what had happened._

_There were now only two and a half hours left. Convinced that Sarah was as competent as she was going to get for the time being, Oberon and Titania switched to teaching her some defensive techniques, including how to hide her magic, concentrating it in her hands, rather that letting it dance and swirl all around her. With a few parting gifts, and a pair of awkward, but emotional goodbyes, Oberon guided her in the use of the pendant for time ordering._

" _Aren't you worried about this falling into the wrong hands?" Sarah asked, holding out the pendant._

" _It is only a medium for the power that you posses, like Jareth's crystals. No one else would be able to use it. If it is lost, another can be made." He answered._

_Nodding, Sarah closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching her mind back to a certain time, a certain place, and willing herself to be there. At first nothing happened, and then suddenly she was once again floating in nothingness and silence, the unfathomable cold piercing her like a thousand frozen needles. She began spinning, and now the cold became heat, she grew hotter and hotter until she was sure she was going to burn up, hurling through a deafening, blinding madness- and then she was on a dark Connecticut beach, dizzy, cold, and breathless._

* * *

Feeling several pairs of bony, long fingered hands grabbing on to her, Sarah let loose her magic, sending several small balls of light into the gremlins immediately surrounding her.

"You  _want_  to listen to me." She said in a commanding voice, making eye contact with each one of them. They let go, staring at her in a confused kind of daze, looking drunk and forgetful all of a sudden. Sarah steeled herself as the largest gremlin, the Gremlin  _King_ , turned around at the sound of her voice, sharp, yellow, slanted eyes fixing on her in cold suspicion, his hand tightening on his blade. This was the tipping point, if this particular gremlin was powerful enough or strong willed enough to resist her, then all was lost. She focused all her energy into what she wanted, sending an especially bright ball of light into him.

"Lodra means to betray you," She began hurriedly, before he could start to wonder what was happening. "She means to enslave you and your kind when she takes the Underground, not to give you your own lands to rule as she falsely promised. The-" She hesitated for a moment, looking around the cave for a likely suspect. "-The  _Rusalkas_  are meant to turn on you and drown you and your leaders as soon as the portal is available again, so that Lodra can take the rest of the gremlins captive. She fears your power." She said, nodding towards the large group of undead female succubus on the other side of the cave, whom Titania had informed her had long been rivals of the gremlins. The Gremlin King eyed her suspiciously, and Sarah put all her energy into willing him to accept her words as truth. Their eyes remained locked for some time, until finally, a glazed look came over his eyes, and he nodded slowly.

"My thanks for this information." He growled out.

Sarah let out a deep breath in relief, slowly backing away as the Gremlin King began covertly ordering about his troops, shooting spiteful glances over at the oblivious rusalka. She hurried off towards her next target, trying not to think about what would happen if the magic wore off too soon, or if the Unseelie sisters were made aware of her presence before she was done.

She made her way carefully through the cave, visiting every faction and working her magic, going largely unhindered once gaining the approval of the leaders of the groups, her hood drawn close around her face to keep her from being recognized. The leader of the frogmen, however, did recognize her from her first trip through the cave after his men had pulled off her hood, and was in the middle of loudly asking her how she got out of the cavern, which was still sealed off by the embattled magic shield, when she hit him and his men with her magic. Luckily, frogmen turned out to be particularly susceptible to persuasion; a few minutes later, they were hopping happily on their way out of the cave.

Shortly after this, there was a huge boom from where the magical shield had been, though most of the army were too busy fighting amongst themselves at this point to notice. Sarah ran forward, seeing a large group of half-fae Unseelie, led by Lodra and her sisters, charge into the side cave. She was still several hundred feet away when something grabbed her around her waist, pulling her to the ground and laying on top of her to pin her down. Sarah gasped for air as her attacker's weight crushed her, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth from where her face had hit the rocky ground.

"You no Rusalka witch!" The gremlin said, pulling off her hood and twisting his head so that his face was close to hers, wicked yellow eyes peering into terrified green ones. "Never mind though, such a pretty thing, you are," he said in a rough voice, scaly lips touching her ear, his intent clear as a bony hand began to roam. He still held her other wrist down, preventing her from reaching her dagger, which was strapped at her side.

Sarah twisted and caught his eye again, willing her magic forth. "You don't want me!" She blurted out, trying to sound confident.

The gremlin paused, looking confused. "I don't? Why not?"

Crap. He wanted a reason. And if she didn't convince him, the spell might not take. She said the first thing that came to mind. "Because... because you're in love with a manatee!" She held her breath, praying that he would go for it.

The gremlin blinked at her for a moment, before a glazed look came over him, and he loosened his hold on her a bit. "That's right! Oh, she'll not be happy about this!" He sat up and glared at Sarah, as if she had been the one to attack him. "You no say anything, right?"

"I won't. Certainly not." Sarah agreed, sitting up and watching him carefully.

"I don't know where she is!" He said suddenly, looking very upset as he realized this. "I need to go and find her!"

"Yes, you should do that." Sarah said, starting to back away.

He reached out and grabbed Sarah's arm before she could get far, giving her a searching look.

"I don't remember her name!" He was openly distraught by now.

Sarah tried not to roll her eyes. "Um, it's... Penelope. She's waiting for you on the beach, you should hurry before she leaves." Sarah said impatiently, looking over her shoulder to the cavern, but was unable to make out what was happening in there due to the angle of the opening.

The gremlin gave her a look like a kid on Christmas morning, and raced off out of the cave, off to find his long lost nonexistent love. Sarah turned and sprinted to the cavern, trying not to panic at how the invisible ribbon on her wrist had begun to feel less and less substantial.

The crash that had brought down the shield had shook the entire cave, small tremors had begun to shake the walls and ground, loosening rocks and debris from the roof of the cave, which came crashing down on the rioting Unseelie. Sarah paused just before the opening of the cavern, catching her breath and checking her pockets for the weapons that Oberon and Titania had given her, to help compensate for her lack of combat training. Priceless and powerful, they had to be used with discretion. She pulled out a tiny crystal vial to check for damage. The green bottle, which would put anyone within a ten foot radius to sleep when it broke, was fine, she put it back and pulled out the next one, a red vial that would cause a powerful explosion. Seeing that it was also fine, she felt around for the last one, a yellow one that granted temporary invisibility, but it seemed to have vanished. Lastly, she checked that Oberon's dagger was still strapped to her side. It was a beautiful thing, a foot long black steel blade with an engraved golden handle. He had told her that the daughters of Mab might find it nostalgic. He hadn't volunteered any further information, and she hadn't asked.

She girded herself for this final confrontation, keeping close to the wall as she snuck into the cavern. She gasped at the sight that met her eyes. Jareth stood against the back wall of the cavern, surrounded by Unseelie. He was clearly the most powerful one there, but was obviously exhausted, probably in no small part due to the immense amount of magic that he had used today, and he was vastly outnumbered. As soon as he took one opponent down, two more would take his place. Bursts of magic shot back and forth, reminding Sarah of a Star Wars battle, only the Unseelie seemed to have better aim than stormtroopers did, judging by his many bleeding wounds and how he was barely holding himself up now.

She started forward, a vial in each hand and her little balls of light surrounding her once again, but when she was only a few steps away from the wall, Jareth was hit by a flash of silver light, followed by a shadowy spear from one of his assailants. He fell to the ground, and did not get up again.

Sarah shrieked, rushing forward and sending all her lights into the remains of the battalion unthinkingly and pushing through them to get to Jareth. She looked up and screamed something at them, she didn't know what, but it seemed to thoroughly convince them all that they had somewhere better to be. Alone now, Sarah felt for a pulse, almost fainting with relief as she found that he was only unconscious. For now, at least.

She looked up when she heard steps approaching from nearby. Lodra, gray dress and red hair sill immaculate, stopped a little ways away, looking at Sarah with fascination.

"Well, well, she returns. It appears that not all is lost after all. I have to say, I didn't expect anything like that from  _you_. Who  _are_  you anyway, girl?" She asked, voice equal parts amusement and hidden concern.

Sarah lifted her chin and met Lodra's eyes, moving her body to block Jareth and gathering her magic in her hands, which she kept out of sight. "I am Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth, and Queen of the Goblins. Stay away from my husband."

"Of course," Lodra laughed, "You couldn't just be an ordinary mortal girl, could you." She gave Sarah a wry grin, twisting her hand for form a black, smokey dagger out of magic.

Sarah took advantage of Lodra's momentary distraction to send a bit of her magic towards her, smiling as it entered her chest. Her smile faded, however, as Lodra coughed and expelled the little ball of light, touching it with her dagger and making it disappear.

"Now, now, dear, none of that," Lodra said, wagging her finger at Sarah as if chastising a small child for bad manners, "I think you'll find I'm made of stronger stuff than your average monster-under-the-bed."

Behind her, Jareth groaned, but did not wake.

Sarah felt her heart beating in her throat, this was it, this was the end of the line...

"He will betray you, you know." Lodra said suddenly, nodding at the unconscious King. Sarah narrowed her eyes, wondering where Lodra was going with this. She realized that likely the only reason she was still alive was that Lodra still believed that she could provide a route to the underground. The would-be Queen also seemed unaware of, or perhaps just uninterested in, the bloody mayhem of the main cavern behind her.

"They all do, in the end. Men, that is. You may think you are important to him, but you are not. Even if it were possible for you and him to get out of here, it would only be a matter of time before he grew bored of you, left you, hurt you in ways far worse than I ever could." She said, gracing Sarah with a little smirk.

"That's not true." Sarah bit out.

"Oh? Isn't it? From what I've heard, your Goblin King there is just like his father when it comes to women. Did you know that Oberon was engaged to my mother? It ended with him betraying her, in the most cowardly way." Lodra said, in an almost bored voice, though the ribbons of black shadowy magic swirling around her gave insight to her true feelings.

"That's not how I heard it told." Sarah said carefully.

"Of course not, dearie. The winning side is the one who writes history, after all! Did anyone ever tell you how she died?" Lodra asked, twirling her dagging in her fingers, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Sarah was reminded of a cat playing with its food before eating it.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help thinking about Lodra's question. Jareth hadn't mentioned any specifics in regards to the death of the infamous Queen of the Unseelie, only saying that she was defeated. Lodra seemed to be expecting an answer, however, and Sarah felt it would be smart to indulge her for the time being, until she could think of some plan.

"Struck down in battle, I suppose?" Sarah guessed.

"No. Oberon stabbed her in the back. With that very dagger at your side." Lodra answered coldly.

Sarah swallowed, opting to remain silent.

After a short pause, Lodra started again. "I will give you one last chance. Come with me now, serve me. Bow down to me as High Queen, and you and your goblins will live in comfort and safety."

Sarah answered by throwing the green vial at her.

Lodra raised her dagger almost lazily, flicking it at the vial and sending it flying in a different direction, it crashed against the far wall, useless and wasted.

Lodra sighed. "It would seem that we must do this the hard way, then." She began to advance on Sarah, who drew the gold-hilted dagger and stood to meet her.

Lodra only took a few steps, however, before a group of battle-maddened Unseelie burst in and charged her, apparently having decided that their efforts would be better served fighting against the one whom they perceived as being the root of the dissent, rather that the other Unseelie that Sarah had persuaded them were trying to kill them on Lodra's orders.

Lodra, taken by surprise, was struck several times before she found her feet and began fighting back. Her magic was powerful, Sarah could see that the small group wouldn't last long against her. Seeing an opportunity, she sent several more balls of light into the susceptible warriors, yelling instructions at them. Lodra shot her a glare, but was too preoccupied fighting for her life to do anything about it at the moment. The warriors, sure enough, began slowly crowding Lodra towards the main cave. As soon as she was under the arch, Sarah raced forward and threw the red vial at the low-hanging roof of the cavern's entrance. There was a powerful explosion as it hit the rock, bringing down tons of stone and rock and knocking Sarah to the ground from the force of the blast. She somehow managed to get up onto her hands and knees a few minutes later, crawling blindly towards where she though Jareth ought to be.

The blast had put out all the torches and blocked off the cavern, by the time she got back to the still unconscious Goblin King, the rock had settled and her surroundings were as dark and silent as a tomb. Grabbing his hand, she collapsed next to him, overcome with exhaustion now that there was no imminent threat. She had had very little food and sleep in the last few days, that, combined with the extraordinary emotional turmoil she had experienced, and the strain of using large amounts of magic, and she was barely conscious at this point. A few moments later, she gave in to the beckoning darkness, and drifted into unconsciousness.


	20. The One With Gratuitous Lemons

**Chapter 20: The One With Gratuitous Lemons**

**Author's Note: As you may have gathered from the title, this chapter contains lemons; peaches; cherries; all of which are just misleading terms for _sex_** **. If this makes you uncomfortable, I have placed said smut between the 'JSJSJSJS' breaks. You wont miss anything important if you skip it.**

* * *

" _Sarah!"_

Sarah screwed her eyes shut tighter, not wanting to wake. She was having the nicest dream, she was once again in the mountain forests that distantly bordered the Labyrinth, the ones that they had gone through on the way to the Ostara festival. She was dancing with Jareth through the sun-dappled trees, and he was telling her something, something important…

" _Sarah, answer me!"_

She clung to the remnants of the dream, not wanting to leave, even as her surroundings became unsteady and dull. She was distantly aware that coldness and pain, danger, and potential heartbreak awaited her on the other side of consciousness, and she didn't want to have to face that yet, she wanted to stay here a while longer, in the warm sunshine, safe in the arms of her love...

Someone roughly shaking her shoulder brought her unwillingly back to reality. Sarah opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. She was flat on her back, laying on what felt to be cold, wet, uneven stone, and everything around her was pitch black. Several thoughts went through her head in an attempt to explain the situation, each more confused than the last. Perhaps she was still dreaming? Maybe she had sleepwalked and laid down outside, and it was dark because it was nighttime? UFO's? She tried to sit up, groaning at the ache in her muscles, but froze upon hearing someone breathing loudly to her left.

There was suddenly a light, coming from a crystal held by Jareth, who was sitting next to her, propping himself up with one arm and peering at her, relief etched all over his face. Sarah's mind cleared instantly, everything that had happened up until now coming back to her all at once. Before she could think, before either of them could say a word, she was on him, hands buried in his hair, her lips furious against his. Yes, they were in a dark, smelly cave, yes, they were likely still in danger, but he was  _alive_ , and that was all she cared about at the moment. Her kiss was a desperate thing, passionate and rough, communicating all the pain and tribulations of the last day, as well as her elation at being with him again. She settled against him as he responded enthusiastically, pressing him to the ground and lying atop him, moaning as she felt him harden against her thigh. Who knows how far their embrace could have gone, if Jareth hadn't suddenly stiffened beneath her and made a small sound of pain. Sarah pulled back and looked him over, gasping when she saw the bloody wound in his side.

"Oh my gosh, Jareth, are you alright?" She gasped, looking at the wound in horror.

"Just a scratch, love." He said, making a sad attempt at a cocky smirk.

Sarah quirked her eyebrow, giving him an unconvinced look.

"Well, it's not  _fatal,_  but it will need to be tended soon. The spear only grazed me, I think, but the dark magic it was made of seems to be poisonous, and I am unable to heal myself at the moment." He conceded.

"Poisonous?" Sarah asked in alarm.

"Are  _you_  alright, precious?" He asked, ignoring her question and holding the crystal up, looking her over for any sign of injury.

"You've blood all over your face." He said in concern.

"Just a cut lip, I'm fine, can't even feel it anymore." She reassured him, trying to get a better look at his 'scratch'. While he had a great many injuries, most seemed to be minor, this one was by far the worst.

"We need to get out of here." He said, letting the crystal drift above them, where it grew brighter, illuminating the cave.

"Yeah, about that…" Sarah realized then, as did Jareth, that the cave-in of the little cavern's entrance meant that there was no way out.

"What happened?" Jareth asked, puzzled.

"I, um, I blew up the cave." She said awkwardly.

Jareth looked at her in astonishment for a moment and then burst into laughter, though he had to stop immediately after, clutching his side in pain. Still, he looked at her with eyes full of mirth, grinning widely.

"Gods above, I love you, Sarah."

"I love you, too." Sarah leaned in for a slow, gentle kiss, careful not to put any weight into it for fear of hurting him again. When she finally drew back, she could see lust burning in his eyes, which only served to fuel her own desire. Stupid Unseelie and their stupid, smelly, impractical caves.

"So how  _are_  we going to get out of here, then?" She asked, looking around and inspecting the cave for any side passages that she might have missed. There were none.

"Well, we could try to move some of that rock, just enough to be able to crawl through, but there's no telling what might be waiting for us on the other side. Do you know if anyone else is coming?" He asked.

"Your father said he was sending troops right after I left, but that would be thirteen hours after I came back, and I've no idea how long we've been lying here. They might be out there, they might not."

"Oberon let you come back here  _alone_?" Jareth asked, voice and face darkening significantly.

"I  _chose_  to come back, your parents just helped me with the means and magic and stuff. Besides, he said that I wouldn't be able to take anyone with me, there was no time to learn how." She said.

"True, but I'll be having words with him, he shouldn't have let you go, you could have  _died_ -" Jareth fumed.

"-He didn't  _let_  me, I  _decided_  for myself, and if I hadn't come back,  _you_ would be  _dead,_  which is something I find completely unacceptable!" Sarah said firmly, cutting off his tirade. She took a deep calming breath. "Now, any ideas for getting  _out_ of here?"

Jareth stared at her, the corners of his mouth gradually lifting into a smile of intolerable smugness before turning his gaze to the dimly lit cavern around them, expression thoughtful.

"Well, seeing as we don't currently have any beasties breathing down our necks, we could work on disarming those anti-teleportation runes." He said. He climbed slowly to his feet, his face a mask of pain. Sarah stood and put one of his arms around her shoulders, urging him to lean on her.

"I'm fine!" He said indignantly.

"Of course you are, now lean on me." Sarah said.

Jareth reluctantly complied, and they began to slowly make their way around the little cave, trying to avoid the rubble that littered the floor from the explosion. The cave was much smaller now that the front half of it had caved in, and they found that the runes had been all but deactivated by the destruction. In fact, they had trouble locating them, as they no longer glowed. Jareth could still detect a small amount of magic from them, but he claimed that they should be able to just barrel right through it, now that the spell was so significantly weakened.

"Are you sure you are going to be able to do that?" She asked. His side wound had started bleeding again while they were walking, and his face was pale and sweaty.

"Healing spells are taxing, but transportation spells are easy enough. Of course, I am not familiar with this blocking magic, so there is the possibility that I could be wrong and something could go horribly awry." He said thoughtfully, conjuring a plain, clear crystal.

"Oh thank goodness, I was just thinking about how boring things were getting here in the last 30 seconds." Sarah said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

He winked at her. "I aim to please. Now hang on." Jareth grabbed Sarah around the waist and pulled her close, smashing the crystal on the ground at their feet and propelling them  _out_  with a massive force of willpower and magic. For a few terrifying minutes, they seemed to be caught in some sort of inbetween place, Sarah felt the resistance of the Unseelie magic straining against them, as if they were flies caught in an enormous spider's web, fighting to be free. Finally, they broke through, and appeared in the throne room of the castle beyond the Goblin City, Jareth collapsing to his knees from the effort, Sarah kneeling at his side, both of them breathing hard. They were not alone, however. Several strange fae dressed in white tunics and pants, healers of some sort, Sarah assumed, descended upon them immediately, like teenagers on pizza. After a few minutes of poking and prodding, Sarah was healed and set free, but Jareth was taken away for more extensive treatment, despite his continued insistence that he was "just fine".

* * *

An hour later, a clean and newly healed version of the Goblin King burst out of the makeshift healing rooms, the High King's head healer, Norbel, hot on his tail.

"Your Majesty, you need rest! Please, come back!" The elderly fae said, struggling to keep up with Jareth.

"I'm fine, Norbel, you've done an excellent job. Others need your attention as well." Jareth answered.

"But you'll need to have a salve applied every 12 hours for the next week to draw out toxins, that dark magic was a nasty business-"

"I am perfectly capable of applying that myself, Norbel, thank you." Jareth said, growing impatient.

The head healer would not give up that easily, however, and continued huffing and puffing along behind the Goblin King. He decided to try a guilt trip. "Your health is too important to be taken so lightly, your majesty, what would the High Queen your mother say-"

At this Jareth stopped abruptly, spinning around to face the healer with an 'I'm trying not to wring your neck' look on his face.

"I am going to find my new wife and take her to bed, and no force in this world can stop me. Now, I doubt Her Majesty the Goblin Queen would appreciate having an audience, so I suggest you go find someone else to coddle." With this Jareth spun around on his heel and made his way down the hall with long strides, leaving an amazed and stupefied head healer in his wake.

He met Sarah in a hallway walking away from the throne room. After they embraced and made sure the other was healed and well, Sarah told him what she'd been up to.

"I'm sorry, I meant to come find you right away, but I was held up talking with your mother. It seems we slept well past thirteen hours, they've been searching for us for a while now. She says the roof of the main cave collapsed, most of the surviving Unseelie forces had fled by then, after seeing the rocks fall on Lodra, and your father and his men have been busy hunting them down, and trying to search through the rubble for any sign of us or the daughters of Mab. She is going to send word that we got back alright." She told him excitedly.

"Yes, I heard as much from the soldiers in the healing rooms." He stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his and giving her a smouldering look, a half smirk on his face as he watched her cheeks redden.

"And, um, she said… that it would take some time for them to return here…"

"Yes?" Jareth prompted, admiring his Sarah's bright red cheeks and rubbing little circles on the inside of her wrists with his thumbs.

"...And that we wouldn't be disturbed…" She said, squirming a bit under his intense gaze.

Jareth need no further encouragement. He swept Sarah up bridal style, and the two of them disappeared in a swirl of glitter and little dancing lights.

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The moment they appeared in the bedchamber, they immediately became entangled in one another, hands and lips everywhere as they stumbled over to the bed. Jareth pulled off her shirt and his gloves hurriedly and walked her backwards until her legs hit the bed, holding her tight against him and lavishing hot, furious kisses up and down her neck and along the top of her breasts.

Realizing that she had managed to do nothing more than untuck Jareth's shirt, Sarah tried to push him back a little, so as to get better access to his clothes. Misinterpreting her actions, Jareth looked up to meet her eyes, concern and a bit of guilt flashing across his face.

"I realize…" He started, breathing heavily, "That everything has happened rather quickly between us… if you want to wait… "

Sarah answered by pulling off her bra and pendant and catching him in a deep kiss, hands working on lifting his shirt. They pulled apart briefly as Jareth helped her get it over his head, he smiled, looking immensely relieved. "Thank the gods. I have been more chivalrous in the last few days than I have been in my entire life. I wasn't sure if I could keep it up much longer."

"Shut up and kiss me." Sarah said impatiently. She was somewhat surprised at her sudden lack of shyness. She didn't know if it was the near-death experience of the battle, the recent declarations of love, or just the fact that he was a gorgeous fairytale King with a deliciously talented mouth, but she had never wanted him as much as she did right now, and she wasn't about to hold back. She didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable being bare before him, all she could concentrate on was the all-consuming heat that was coursing through her body, burning away any lingering inhibitions.

"As my queen commands." Jareth gave her a wicked, promising smile that sent shivers through her belly and made her eyes darken with lust. He bent and began to kiss down her chest, she cried out in surprise as his mouth closed over her nipple, sucking gently. He did not linger there however, much to her frustration, but instead knelt and pressed a line of kisses down her belly, making her squeak when he nipped sharply at the skin just under her belly button. She was acutely aware of the bed directly behind them, and started to lean back onto it, but he stopped her wordlessly by placing a hand on her lower back, puller her back to him. He unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them and her panties down her legs, nipping and kissing that same sensitive bit of skin all the while. Once he had pulled them down to her ankles and Sarah had stepped out of them, he stood and stepped back a bit, letting his gaze drink her in slowly, leisurely, finally meeting her eyes.

"You are beautiful." He said with reverence. "And you are  _mine_." He added, with an emphasis on the last word, moving in to claim her lips again.

Sarah surrendered completely to the kiss, loving how his warm, smooth chest felt pressed against hers, how his silky hair felt between her fingers, how his tongue moved so skillfully against hers. She began to let her hands wander, smoothing her palms over his strong back, then letting them slide down and cup his delightfully firm bum through his thin trousers. He responded by pulling her closer, so that she could feel the hard length of him pressed against her. The feeling was almost too much for her, she wanted him  _now_ , her hands came forward to either side of his hips, grabbing the waistband of his trousers to pull them down.

He swatted her hands away, clucking his tongue at her and saying in a teasing voice, "Ah ah, I've waited too long for this, I intend to take it slow and enjoy it."

Sarah, her mind addled with lust, disagreed with this approach, and made her dissent known by boldly reaching down and cupping the length of him through his pants, giving him a little squeeze.

"You're not the only one who's been waiting for this, Goblin King." She looked up at him and watched with interest as his eyes widened, the right pupil dilating until it was the same size and the left one. She felt him twitch in her hand, and felt moisture sliding down her core as she wondered what that might feel like inside of her.

"Seven hells, woman, the things you do to me." He said in almost a whisper. He bent quickly, picking her up and tossing her onto the bed, where she landed with a squeak, then crawled over to her, looking like a lion moving in for the kill. He was on top of her before she could react, pinning her hands on either side of her head, eyes blazing down at her, his hair a wild, glorious mane framing his face.

"Much as I would like to bury myself inside you right now and ride you into oblivion, this is your first time, and I do not wish to cause you any unnecessary pain. Now, are you going to cooperate, or do I need to tie you up?" He said in a maddeningly calm voice.

Sarah nodded mutely, eyes wide. She didn't think she could speak right now even if she tried.

He dipped down and brushed her lips with his chastely, teasingly, dotting little hurried kisses down her neck and back to her breasts, which he paid proper attention to now, gently suckling one nipple while rolling the other between his fingers. Soon Sarah was squirming under him and letting out quiet moans, which she tried to stifle with her forearm.

Jareth let his hand slide from her breast to between her legs, looking up to watch her face as he touched her for the first time. He wondered if she knew what a hard time he was having maintaining control right now, how  _painful_  it was to deny himself. Judging by the desperate look on her face, she did.

"You're  _dripping wet._ " His voice was choked and hushed, the facade of control nearly spent. He watched her as he ran his index finger over her heat lightly, relishing her response.

Sarah finally managed to find her voice. "This 'cooperating' thing is bullshit."

She grabbed him under the shoulders and tried to pull him up to where she wanted him, but he just yanked away from her with a smirk and kissed her  _there._

Sarah gasped, her eyes closing and her head falling back onto the pillow and he deepened the kiss. She had never felt anything so exquisite, within seconds she was moaning shamelessly as his tongue stroked her inner walls and circled her clit. A pressure began to build within her, becoming denser and denser, larger and larger, filling all of her with a heavy tension, until she was convinced that something terrible would happen if it wasn't resolved  _now_. She started to buck against him, but he held her hips down on the silk sheets, sucking on her clit and inserting a finger, curling it and then-

-It was as if time stopped, and all there was was warmth, the most beautiful, electric warmth, making every cell in her body vibrate and buzz with pleasure. She was distantly aware that she was anchored to a physical body, and after a time she returned to it, opening her eyes and taking a slow, shaky breath. Jareth, her beautiful love, was gazing down at her, and she noticed with glee that his thrice-cursed pants were finally gone.

He positioned himself at her entrance, and the languid waves of pleasure still coursing through her body spiked at the feeling of him there, flesh against flesh. He rubbed the head of his cock against her, teasing, until she began to whimper. Then he plunged into her, and she cried out at the sharp, tearing feeling, followed by a dull ache as her body adjusted to his size. He buried his face in the crook of her neck for a moment, controlling his breathing and keeping himself from moving. After a bit he raised his head, giving Sarah a questioning look. She nodded, and he began to move.

He rocked against her slowly at first, propping himself up on his elbows and kissing her, whispering words of adoration and reassurance in her ear, against her lips. Soon, she felt ready for more, wrapping her legs around his and arching her hips instinctively to take him deeper. She ran her hands down his back again, pulling him closer, urging him on. He picked up the tempo, entering her now with long, powerful strokes that made her keen and gasp. She felt that pressure building again, that tense squeezing of her insides, only it was far more intense than before.

Soon she was crying out, pleading, calling his name, and he changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting a spot within her that sent her over the edge after only a few more strokes, and she bit into his shoulder to keep herself from screaming. She didn't break the skin, but it would leave one hell of a bruise. Feeling her inner walls clenching and pulsing around him and her teeth buried in his shoulder, Jareth followed her into completion, collapsing on top of her with a roar as he filled her with his seed.

When he came back to himself, Sarah was absently kissing his shoulder and neck, her arms still wrapped around him, fingers trailing lazy patterns on his back. He went to roll off of her, but she stopped him, whispering,

"No, don't. I like how you feel inside me."

Jareth smiled, placing one hand under her bum and the other on her upper back, holding her close to him as he rolled over to his back, bringing Sarah to rest on top of him.

"I love you." He said, kissing her forehead.

"And I love you." She answered, giving him a sleepy, contented smile before settling down against him, sated and spent.

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* * *

Several weeks later, when the glow of newly wedded bliss had begun to abate, Sarah stood hidden in a hallway a short distance from the throne room, watching the runner's progress in a crystal. The goblins had done a miserable job trying to stop him as he made his way through the Goblin City, most of them had simply hidden in their houses, though a few of the drunkest ones had made a half-hearted attempt to do their job, attaching rockets to the backs of their assorted livestock, and then aiming them in the runner's general direction. Nevertheless, the runner had prevailed, making his way through the city and into the castle. In fact, he was just about to round the corner of her hallway. She turned to face him, standing tall and trying to pull off a haughty and intimidating demeanor.

"Twelve hours and fifty-three minutes, cutting it a little close there, Goblin King." Sarah said, casting a pointed look over at the conveniently conjured 13 hour clock floating nearby.

"Yes, well, I encountered a rather lovely distraction in the tunnels. You didn't hear it from me, but I'm of the impression that the Queen here plays dirty." He said conspiratorially as he reached over and dusted a bit of dirt off the front of Sarah's dress, smirking at her blush.

She smirked right back, saying, "Oh really? Because the  _Queen_  was under the impression that you were  _lost_ , seeing as you were wandering in circles for two hours, and thought she would point you in the right direction with a harmless little game of tag. What may or may not have happened after was entirely  _your_  doing."

"Ah. My mistake. How generous of her." He said with a devilish gleam in his eye.

"Well, she learned from the best. Though I think my method was preferable to a wheeled death machine, don't you agree?" Sarah teased, reaching up for a slow, lingering kiss.

Jareth pulled away after a bit, pointing a finger at her and holding her at arm's length.

"Back, you temptress, I won't be seduced by you a second time! There are still two minutes left for me to defeat you." He said, embellishing his deep voice with plenty of dramatic flare.

"Here, just take it already." Sarah said in amused exasperation, pulling off the amulet and trying to place it in his hands.

He looked at her with consternation, folding his arms so that she couldn't get to his hands. "What? Just like that? But, I've prepared a dramatic monologue-"

"-You've beat the Labyrinth, you insufferable tease, now take it!" Sarah laughed, moving in quickly and looping the chain over his head before he could move away.

"Sure you want to give that back? Aren't you tempted to keep the power for yourself?"

"And rob you of the opportunity of dealing with angsty teenage runners? Wouldn't dream of it."

"So kind. So benevolent. Though, I must say, the last one turned out to be excellent company, despite a certain proclivity for mischief…"

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black." She said, tracing with her finger the skin around the pendant, which once again rested on his smooth chest, where it belonged.

He answered with a lecherous grin, resting his hands lightly on her hips, his thumbs moving in little circles on the inside of her hipbone. They both paused and watched as the clock chimed and the pendant glowed brightly for a moment, signaling the successful transfer of power.

Jareth gave her a genuine smile then, and said, "The time is up. It is done. I say we celebrate with a replay of that tunnel scene."

"Alright. But you'll have to catch me first." She wriggled away from him and made to run, but he caught her wrist and stopped her, turning her to face him.

His expression suddenly became serious and tender. "I'll always catch you, my Sarah. No matter the cost."

Sarah smiled in adoration, entwining her fingers with his and trailing worshipful kisses up his neck. When she stepped back and began to back away, a sly grin on her face, Jareth realized that his hands were magically bound behind him and chained to the wall.

"Wench! That's not fair!"

"Depends on your basis for comparison,  _dear_!" She answered as she ran down the hallway, trying and failing to not giggle like a schoolgirl, knowing that he would soon be hot on her heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, was it everything you hoped for? Please review, reviews are love!


	21. Epilogue: Full Circle

**Epilogue: Full Circle**

* * *

The small boy ran through the stone maze as fast as his little feet could carry him, darting around corners and squeezing through narrow passageways like a bat out of hell.

"I'll find you sooner or later, you mini-rat! You ain't gonna get away from me again!" His pursuer called out, far too close behind for Kian's liking. Realizing that he could not outrun him, the boy decided that he needed some help.

"Lurk! I need you!" He called out in semi-hushed tones, hiding behind a bush.

The small grey goblin appeared a minute later, panting after trying to keep up with the boy.

"Quick! We gotta hide!" Kian grabbed Lurk and hugged him with both arms, closing his eyes tightly, as if hoping that might help him go unseen. Luckily, Lurk got the idea, and turned them both invisible just before the dwarf stormed around the corner, fuming and muttering.

Hoggle paused in the small stone courtyard a few feet away from the two of them, turning around in circles and trying to determine which direction the boy had gone.

"-As if I'm some sort of nanny! I'm a gardener, for cripes sake! I ain't got the constitution for this sort of thing, It'll put me in an early grave, it will, not that  _He_  cares, but I would've thought  _She_  would have made other 'rangements, though it  _is_  a few weeks early, I s'pose-"

Kian could not resist, he cracked open an eyelid, taking in the sight before him with ecstatic glee. Hoggle the dwarf was yellow, from his bushy eyebrows to his leather shoes, all of him was now one solid color of bright, cheery, sunshine yellow. Just the other day, One-eye and Oog, with the help of some of the castle goblins, had told the young prince their version of his parents courtship. Being a small child, and a male one at that, the only parts of the story he had held onto were the bits involving candy, and fighting, and how his father had been about to turn the grumpy dwarf yellow, but had been unable to find him, as the coward had hidden himself in a mud hole.

Kian, being of an imaginative and ambitious mindset, had decided that he would do what his father could not. He had not expected an opportunity to present itself so quickly, however. His mother going into labor early had set everyone into a tizzy, and in the chaos he had somehow ended up with no one to answer to but the gardener. It had been far too easy to trick him, convincing the dwarf to take him and some of his mother's goblins outside under the pretense of a game of hide and seek. While Hoggle counted with his eyes closed, Kian had instructed Darry to lightly brush past him, changing his hue and then leaving him to finish counting, while the rest of them snuck off into the Labyrinth. Finally seeing the result of his mischief up close and personal, Kian couldn't help it, he let out a high-pitched giggle.

Hoggle spun around and darted in the direction of the sound with surprising agility, grabbing onto the shrill, squirming, invisible bundle and wrestling with it roughly until the boy and goblin were finally pulled apart and became visible. Holding each by the back of their shirt collars, he glared back and forth from one to the other, his wrinkled cheeks turning an almost neon shade of yellow as the two miscreants continued to giggle uncontrollably at the sight of him.

"You listen to me, little prince! You'll be calling that fat goblin to turn me back right now, or I'll tell your mother all about how you sends the goblins to raid the kitchen for you every night." Hoggle said, letting go of his captives after seeing the look of horror come over the boy's face, knowing that he now had the young prince's undivided attention.

"No you won't! You wouldn't dare!" Kian shouted back, little fists clenched his side.

"Oh yes I would! Now, you're gonna to fix  _this_ ," Hoggle said, motioning to his person, "And then you'll be marchin' back up to your chambers to wait for your baby sister to be born, like you was s'posed to be doin' this whole time!"

Short, wild, blonde hair shot out in all directions, eyebrows flared up at the edges over defiant green eyes, and rosy lips pouted on a face still round with baby fat. He stood tall and proud, all three feet of him, and attempted to stare down the much larger Hoggle.

"I'm your prince! You have to do what I say!" He squeaked authoritatively.

"Most days, mayhaps, but today I've been charged with your care, and that means  _I'm_  in charge of _you._ " Hoggle said squarely.

Kian looked slightly disturbed at this, but recovered soon enough. "Alright, I'll turn you back the way you were, if you promise not to tell anyone  _ever_  about the cookies. But I don't want to go back yet, I want to go to the junk city and find treasures!"

Hoggle started to object, but then the prince added on:

"-Or else I'll tell my parents that you called me 'mini-rat'."

Hoggle, imaging what the Goblin King might do if he found out that the dwarf had been insulting his progeny, turned a very pale shade of yellow, and Kian smirked a very familiar smirk.

"How 'bout this, I'll take you to the junk city for half an hour, then you'll go quiet like back to your chambers, eh?" Hoggle bargained nervously.

The small blonde terror considered this for a bit, a very serious expression on his face, then nodded and held out his tiny hand to shake. "It's a deal, Hogwart."

An hour and half later, the pair trudged towards the castle, the goblins Darry, Linnie, Lurk and trailing along behind, arms full of various knick-knacks and oddments for the prince to hoard in his rooms and play with. Dell brought up the rear, a wicked curved blade in her hands, flowery dress swishing as she stalked along, her swarthy eyes darting side to side, making sure that no one could harm her precious prince. Hoggle, who had been watching Kian closely for any sign of impending shenanigans, noticed that the boy looked a little down.

"What's the matter, your Highness? Aren't you happy 'bout gettin' a baby sister?" Hoggle asked.

The little prince glared at the ground and kicked at a rock. "I don't want a sister! One-eye says that girls have bog-water for brains!"

"Ye've got your mother's imagination and your father's sense of decency." Hoggle mused to himself. "You'd be wise not to take advice from goblins, lad. After all, your mother was but a girl when she beat your father."

Kian seemed to consider this, but before he could answer, an agonized scream was heard coming from the highest tower. His eyes went wide.

"Won't be long now." Hoggle's tone was reassuring and matter-of-fact. "She did that just before you was born, too. Now, about your sister, will you at least give her a chance? It's not right to be judgin' someone you've never even met." Hoggle asked, trying to turn his attention away from the unpleasant noises of labor.

"I guess." Kian mumbled. "But I'm not sharing any of my stuff with her!" He added fiercely.

The dwarf rolled his eyes. "Well, that's a start, at least. Now, lets go and get you washed up, your Highness." Hoggle said gruffly, and the pair made their way into the castle.

* * *

That evening, The Goblin King stood on his balcony, overlooking the Labyrinth as the suns set, the fiery forest was a lush, deep green, and the many twisting mazes glittered orange and gold in the evening light. It was truly beautiful.

The same could not be said for the Goblin City, however. As soon as news of the successful birth had been announced this morning, every inhabitant of his kingdom had flocked to the Goblin City to take part in the celebration. This meant drinking.  _Lots_ of drinking, with singing, dancing, cannons, feasting, bonfires, the works. The festivities had died down to a dull roar by now, and the Goblin King shook his head has he surveyed the damage done so far. Several houses were demolished and/or currently on fire, though the inhabitants didn't seem to mind. In fact, some of the more adventurous goblins had discovered the fun fact that imbibing large amounts of alcohol made one flammable, and were entertaining each other by running through the crowded streets with their heads on fire. It would likely be several more days before the ale ran out, until then Jareth would let them party. He had banished everyone but the royal family from the castle and barred the doors, intending to enjoy his family in relative peace for the next few days.

Turning and walking back into the room, he surveyed the three occupants of the massive bed, a sense of fierce pride, protectiveness, and love coming over him, making him feel as if his heart would burst from the intensity of it. Sarah slept in the middle, the small bundle that was Princess Carlin tucked snugly in her arms. Kian lay on his back to her left, spread eagle and sideways with the covers kicked off, snoring softly. The little prince had taken to his new sister right away, loving how soft her little head was, and how tiny her little fingers and toes were.

Jareth sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over and gently stroking the blonde peach fuzz on his new daughter's head, careful not to wake her. Sarah opened her eyes, giving at her husband a contented smile, which he returned.

"Sorry precious. Didn't mean to wake you." He said softly.

"You didn't, I've been up nursing her, she just finished a minute ago. Are you going to come to bed soon?" She whispered back.

"In a bit. I thought I saw a half-built catapult down there, I figured I should keep an eye on things." He said.

Sarah chuckled, but stopped as baby Carlin began to stir. Rocking her gently, Sarah lulled her back to sleep before settling her on the bed and starting to scoot towards Jareth.

"Here, help me up." She said, reaching an arm out to him.

"Sarah, you should be resting!" Jareth chastised.

"Help me up or I'll get up myself." She answered stubbornly.

Jareth rolled his eyes and helped her out of the bed, giving her his arm for support as they made their way out to the balcony.

Jareth watched Sarah as she surveyed the Goblin City for herself. After all this time, sometimes he still couldn't believe that this was real, that she was really his. She still looked the same as she had when she had first become his Queen nearly a hundred years ago. Nothing was mortal here in the Underground, she had lost that part of herself when she had named this place her home, though she was still human in many other ways. She had spent a great deal of time talking with Titania in those early days, as the High Queen had also once been human. Titania had helped ease Sarah's fears, reassuring her that while she might have magic and an extended lifespan, she wouldn't be changed in any other way, she would still be herself.

He thought back to those first days of their marriage, everything had happened so fast. He had been worried that Sarah might think he had tricked her somehow, or that she would have regrets after making such a hasty decision. She had thoroughly convinced him otherwise, however, both with her body and her words.

They had never found Lodra or any of her sisters, dead or otherwise, but it was a near certainty that no one would ever have to worry about the Unseelie ever again after the massive defeat they had suffered. Still, Jareth didn't intend to make the same mistake twice, and he and several others had gone back to the caves to study the remnants of the Unseelie magic, so as not to be caught off guard again. He had made a careful written account of the events, as well as his findings in regard to Unseelie magics. If his son or daughter, or any of their descendants should ever have to face a similar threat, he wanted them to be prepared.

Sarah had slowly eased into life Underground, tying up loose ends Aboveground and saying goodbye to her family, before fully committing to her role as Goblin Queen. The goblins had taken to her right away, and not just because weddings and coronations were good excuses to party. While they feared and obeyed him, her they loved. He might be able to threaten them into doing his bidding, but she could charm them into doing just about anything with a smile on their ugly little faces, even without using her power of persuasion.

He was pulled from his contemplation as Sarah turned back and met his gaze.

"I don't think the catapult is anything to worry about. It looks more like a splintery see-saw right now, and in any case, it's only a matter of time before it catches fire, given its location. I am a bit worried about the goblins scaling the walls, though." She remarked casually, smirking a little at how he frowned and looked quickly over the edge.

"Those pestilent little slugs!" He snarled. Sure enough, several goblins were clawing their way steadily up the castle wall, directly beneath them, looking like gray, thorny caterpillars in the evening light. The nearest one was a little more than 50 feet away, and Jareth could see a crudely wrapped boulder tied to his back. Baby present? Assassination attempt? He would rather not find out.

"Together?" He asked her, holding out his hand.

"Together." She smiled and placed her hand in his, the two of them sharing a kiss before focusing on their task. Several crystals formed in the Goblin King's free hand, and the Goblin Queen sent a little ball of light into each one. They dropped them on the heads of their would-be visitors, making each one disappear with a pop. They would be sent back to the ground, where they would spend the night guarding the castle walls, rather than scaling them.

The pair watched the suns sink behind the purple mountains, a contented air wrapped snugly around them, before heading to bed. The little family lay curled together, swaddled in starlight and magic, deaf to the cacophony far below. Their path had never, and would never be smooth, but it would always be interesting, and full of unexpected surprises, both good and bad, and no matter what, they would travel it together. For their wills were strong and their kingdom was great, and forever was not long at all.

THE END

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bawling my eyes out here, people. It's actually over, I can't handle this. I need a hug. Or a whiskey. Maybe I'll hug the whiskey. Everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed: you are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU! I had never written anything before this, and the encouragement and feedback was wonderful.
> 
> Sequel: I'm a brat. I actually wrote one back in April, it's called An Unconventional Union and you can find it on my profile page. It is set in the same universe as Mischief and Magic, 30ish years after this epilogue. It's just a one shot right now, but I do plan on adding to it yearly.
> 
> Carlin means 'little champion' in Irish. Isn't that just perfect? I vote to make that their child's canon (or would it be fanon?) name.
> 
> Please leave one last review telling me what you thought of the story as a whole!
> 
> Or else.
> 
> Dell will find you.


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